The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, noted that the vaccine is effective against coronavirus variants carrying the N501Y and E484K mutations.
AstraZeneca said it is yet to be fully determined whether the vaccine protects against severe disease caused by the highly transmissible coronavirus variant found in South Africa.
"One person had the new strain of coronavirus," Popova said on Rossiya-1 television channel on Sunday, commenting on the vetting of arrivals from the UK, Xinhua news agency reported.
Health Minister KK Shailaja called upon the people to opt for self-imposed lockdown. "More people are coming out after the lockdown restrictions were relaxed.
There is no evidence that the new variant is more virulent or that it has the ability to beat existing precautions such as masks, physical distancing and other non-pharmaceutical interventions
