The new date is Dec 8, 2021.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Wednesday that a booster shot of the Covid-19 vaccine provides sufficient protection against the omicron variant of the coronaviruses, and that just receiving two shots of the vaccine may protect.
The Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccine was given to the Safeway pharmacist by a doctor.
The images are from the same company.
A third shot of the Pfizer vaccine showed a 25-fold increase in protection from omicron as compared with two doses of the vaccine, which is comparable to the protection two doses of the vaccine provides against the original "wild type" strain of the coronaviruses.
Pfizer and BioNTech said that booster shots increase T cell levels that correlate with protection against severe disease.
Pfizer and BioNTech said they believe that people who have only two shots of the vaccine may still be protected against severe forms of the disease.
The lab study looked at the effectiveness of the vaccine when subjects were three weeks out from receiving their second dose and one month from receiving the booster shot.
Pfizer and BioNTech noted that the results are still preliminary and that they are continuing to study the variant.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement Wednesday that protection is improved with a third dose of the vaccine. Ensuring that as many people as possible are fully protected with the first two dose series and a booster is the best course of action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The vaccine is still being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech and should be ready by March.
We don't know what we don't know.
How other Covid-19 vaccines perform. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have begun work on different forms of their vaccine, though there is still no clear evidence of how effective they are against the variant. If evidence shows the current vaccine is less effective, Moderna could potentially use a higher dose.
The key background.
The omicron variant was first discovered in southern Africa on November 24 and has since been found in dozens of countries and at least 17 states, spurring new travel restrictions and Covid-19 measures worldwide. Pfizer/BioNTech's study marked the first clear evidence of how the variant may perform against the shots, as the new strain has sparked fears about its potential evasion of vaccines. Early signs out of countries like South Africa, Norway and the United Kingdom suggest that the variant may be more transmissible but also produce milder symptoms than earlier strains of the virus, but experts caution more evidence is needed before drawing conclusions about the variant.
Update on Omicron Variant (Pfizer) provided by Pfizer and BioNTech.
Covid-19 vaccine makers plan to tackle Omicron.
Early reports from the UK, Norway, and South Africa suggest that Omicron variant causes milder covid-19.
This is not a finished story.
Coverage and live updates on the coronaviruses.
