On Omicron, Early Studies Are In And There Is "Cautious Optimism"
NDTV
Research from South Africa, Sweden and Germany, as well as from the companies themselves, shows that omicron does cause a loss of immune protection -- but potentially not a complete one.
The earliest studies on omicron are in and the glimpse they're providing is cautiously optimistic: while vaccines like the one made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE may be less powerful against the new variant, protection can be fortified with boosters.
Research from South Africa, Sweden and Germany, as well as from the companies themselves, shows that omicron does cause a loss of immune protection -- but potentially not a complete one.
Pfizer and BioNTech said initial lab studies show a 25-fold reduction in neutralizing antibody levels versus the variant, compared with the original strain of the virus, in people who got just two shots. However, boosting with an additional dose of the vaccine raised antibodies, giving a similar level of the protective proteins as observed against earlier versions after the standard two shots, the vaccine partners said Wednesday.
Publication of their data followed results from a South African study of blood plasma from people given two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. These showed a 41-fold drop in levels of virus-blocking antibodies compared with the strain circulating at the start of the pandemic.
