The
Omicron variant has been discovered in 57 countries and 19 states across the
United States, and it is still spreading.
Many
countries, including the United States, have increased their COVID-19 vaccination and booster distribution in order to better protect their
populations from this new variant.
Indeed,
according to White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients, the United
States had its highest rate of booster doses last week, administering 1 million
shots per day.
In
the midst of it all, preliminary reports on how effective vaccines will likely
be against it have begun to emerge. According to current evidence, a booster
dose is required to effectively neutralize the Omicron variant.
Two
studies on the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against preventing Omicron were published.
While
both show a reduced antibody response to Omicron, the overarching theme is that
for the widest range and most robust antibodies, a third (booster) dose or
vaccination after infection is required.
One
study looked at the immune responses of 12 people who were given the
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine by South African experts in a series of lab
experiments.
The
small study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, looked at people who had
received the Pfizer vaccine in a two-dose regimen to see if the Omicron variant
could evade antibodies better than the original coronavirus
strain.
When
compared to the original strain, the standard two-dose regimen of the Pfizer
vaccine resulted in a 41-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies against
Omicron.
The
study also discovered that people who had COVID-19 before being vaccinated had
"relatively high neutralization with Omicron" and likely had better
protection than those who only received two doses.
A
booster dose, on the other hand, is likely to produce a similar response, according
to the researchers.
COVID-19
vaccines are expected to provide some protection against the Omicron variant,
even if it is diminished, according to experts.
Those
who have been fully vaccinated will still be protected, as the body has
previously encountered parts of the spike protein and has produced immune cells
to combat it.
So
far, evidence suggests that current Omicron vaccines will continue to be
effective in preventing severe disease and death.
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