Vaccines could also be ineffective towards Omicron with out booster: US examine

The examine from researchers at Massachusetts Normal Hospital (MGH), Harvard and MIT that has not but been peer reviewed examined blood from individuals who obtained the Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines towards a pseudovirus engineered to resemble the Omicron variant.

The researchers discovered “low to absent” antibody neutralisation of the variant from the common regimens of all three vaccines — two photographs of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines or one in every of J&J’s single-dose vaccine.

However the blood from current recipients of an extra booster dose exhibited potent neutralisation of the variant, the examine discovered.

The scientists additionally advised that Omicron is extra infectious than earlier variants of concern, together with about twice as transmissible because the at the moment dominant Delta variant, which can quickly be overtaken by Omicron.

The outcomes are in keeping with different research not too long ago revealed. Researchers on the College of Oxford stated on Monday that they discovered the two-dose Pfizer and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine regimens don’t induce sufficient neutralizing antibodies towards the brand new variant.

BioNTech and Pfizer stated final week {that a} three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was in a position to neutralize the brand new Omicron variant in a laboratory check, however two doses resulted in considerably decrease neutralising antibodies.

Moderna and J&J have but to launch any of their very own information about how the vaccines carry out towards the brand new variant. J&J declined to touch upon the brand new examine and Moderna didn’t reply to request for remark.