Research is being carried out by members of Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert’s team at the University of Oxford – the same scientists behind the AstraZeneca jab. It is being reported that the vaccine could be designed with the aim of “having something on the shelf ready to scale up". Experts have argued there is a case for specific jabs for current and future variants.

       It comes as the Delta variant now accounts for the vast majority of global infections.

       In the UK, cases have soared.

       Some 49,156 people tested positive for Covid on Monday, a weekly rise of 22 per cent and the highest figure since the end of lockdown.

       The rise in prevalence comes amid waning protection levels among older age groups and fears that the booster rollout is moving too slowly.

       Professor Eleanor Riley, an immunologist at Edinburgh University, said the biggest advantage would be to help bring widespread transmission in the UK "to an end”.

       She said the UK’s autumn booster programme, which will ultimately see 30 million Britons offered a third vaccine dose, “would likely have much greater impact if we were using a Delta-specific vaccine.”

       This vaccine is said to still be in the "very early days" but sources told the Independent that it should not be difficult to make modifications.

       It would use a “plug and play” update to the technology being used.

       However, the source said that even “subtle changes” introduced to the manufacturing process as a result of switching to a modified vaccine could cause significant delays from regulation.

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       Professor Riley added that the protection afforded by the current vaccines against severe disease and death seems to be broadly similar for all variants.

       She said: “Those of us who have been vaccinated already are no more likely to end up in hospital with the Delta variant than with the original Wuhan or Alpha strains.

       “There is therefore a case for rolling out Delta-specific vaccines.

       “They are likely to be significantly better at suppressing infections in the community and may well bring widespread transmission in the UK to an end.

       “This, in turn, will reduce the number of unprotected people being infected and ending up in hospital.”

       Pfizer has already announced its plans to develop a Covid booster shot that will target Delta, while Moderna has said it would be able to easily update its vaccine to take into consideration new variants.

       A timeframe for the new Oxford vaccine has not been released.