Dec 9 (BBC) – Pfizer and BioNTech have said a booster jab of their coronavirus vaccine promises to be an effective defence against the new Omicron variant.
Three doses provide a similar level of antibodies against Omicron to that of two doses against other variants, the companies said after a small study.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) earlier said vaccines should still work against severe Omicron cases.
Researchers across the world are piecing together data about Omicron.
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It is the most heavily mutated version of coronavirus found so far.
In a statement on Wednesday, Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla said protection against the variant would be improved with a third dose of the jab.
“Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” he said.
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However, Pfizer and BioNTech noted that the results were preliminary and said they would continue to collect data and “evaluate real-world effectiveness”.
They added that they were developing an Omicron-specific vaccine which would be ready for delivery within 100 days, pending regulatory approval.
Both the Pfizer/BioNTech research and a new South African study – not yet peer-reviewed – found that the vaccine might result in far fewer neutralising antibodies against Omicron than against the original Covid strain.
Pfizer/BioNTech, however, said a third dose boosted those antibodies by a factor of 25, making the level of protection comparable to that of two doses against other variants.
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