A man888-607-888-607-3166888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-3166 is888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-3166 is888-607-888-607-3166 is888-607-888-607-3166 is888-607-888-607-3166 is888-607-3166 is888-607-3166 is administered at a clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa on Dec. 6888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607-888-607- The omicron variant is driving a surge in South Africa. New studies suggest that a booster shot can be helpful, even though vaccines might not be as effective against this variant.
The person is Shiraaz Mohamed.
Scientists have been waiting for data to answer the question of how well the vaccines will work against the omicron variant.
Scientists in South Africa and Germany released preliminary results from two small studies that will provide answers.
The studies have not been peer reviewed. Their data shows that the vaccines will be less effective at stopping infections from the omicron variant but will still offer protection against severe disease. A study in Germany shows that a third shot, or a booster, will partially recover the effectiveness of the vaccines.
The Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa took blood from people who had received two shots of the Pfizer vaccine and looked to see how well their immune system killed the virus. Everyone's antibodies were able to destroy an earlier version of the virus.
The ability dropped dramatically against omicron. The variant circulating in the summer of 2020 was 40 times less potent than the one circulating in the summer of 2020.
That's a lot. Pei-Yong Shi, a researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, has been doing similar experiments to determine the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronaviruses.
"We seem to see a drastic reduction in neutralizing activity, far more than with previous variant," said Krammer, who works at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. There was little activity left.
Scientists have been predicting what would happen since omicron was first detected. The immune system's power is weakened by the virus's many mutations.
Scientists say it's likely we'll see a lot more breakthrough infections with the omicron variant based on the results of this preliminary study. South Africa is reporting a lot of infections.
The news isn't all bad. The vaccine is about protecting against infections. It is also about protecting against death and disease. Even with the omicron variant, the vaccines will still do that. Most of the people in the South African experiment were able to kill the virus. Scientists say that even a small amount of activity in the immune system can prevent you from going to the hospital.
The immune system has other tools that can be used to ward off disease. The T cells can clear out the virus. Scientists think that those may hold up better against omicron.
A study from Germany shows that a third booster shot, with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, increases the ability of the neutralizing antibodies to levels seen with the delta variant, at least for several weeks after the booster.
Researchers at the Goethe University looked at the antibody potency against omicron and delta after a third booster. In the short term, the potency of the antibody went up in half of the people. After three months, most people's antibodies had fallen to the level seen without the booster.
Pfizer released a statement supporting the new findings.
Two doses of vaccines may not be enough to prevent omicron, but regular boosters will help restore this decline to an extent.
