Are vaccines effective against Omicron variant of COVID-19? Medicines Agency says THIS

Studies show that vaccination continues to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalisation linked to the Omicron variant, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said, citing preliminary data

Brussels (Belgium): Citing preliminary data, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has said that the Covid-19 vaccines remain effective against severe disease and hospitalisation caused by the Omicron coronavirus variant.

"Although Omicron appears to be more infectious than other variants, studies conducted in South Africa, the UK and some European Union (EU) member states show a lower risk of being hospitalised after infection with Omicron. Based on these studies, the risk is currently estimated to be between a third and half of the risk with the Delta variant," the EMA said on Tuesday in a release.

It cited results from recently published studies as showing that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease is lower for Omicron than for other variants and tends to wane over time. As a result, more vaccinated people are likely to develop breakthrough disease due to Omicron. However, these studies also show that vaccination continues to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalisation linked to the Omicron variant, Xinhua news agency reported.