Study Reveals Pfizer Booster Dose Effectively Neutralizes The Omicron Variant
Preliminary results from laboratory tests have shown that a booster or third dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective against the Omicron variant, the most heavily mutated strain of the coronavirus, which was first identified in South Africa towards the end of the year.
During the investigation, Pfizer researchers analyzed blood serum samples from hundreds of people originally vaccinated with the two-dose Pfizer vaccine. They found that the antibodies in the samples did not effectively neutralize the Omicron variant.
However, the Omicron strain was effectively neutralized after the third dose was administered to the blood serum samples.
In fact, the booster dose produced the same amount of antibodies against the Omicron variant that both doses produced against the parent strain of coronavirus.
In addition, Pfizer researchers also found that antibodies developed against the original variant of COVID-19 decreased by 25% several months after the two-dose vaccination ended.
They added that the T cells were still very effective against the parent strain, which means people who were vaccinated with the two-dose Pfizer vaccine will continue to be protected from serious infection with the coronavirus.
Regarding the development, the CEO of BioNTech, the German biotech company that worked with Pfizer to develop the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, said the shortening of the time between the second and third dose of the Pfizer vaccine said the key will be increased protection against the Omicron variant, which has been proven in more than 50 countries.
Also Read: Studies Suggest That The Pfizer Vaccine Against Omicron Is Only Partially Effective
He added that a modification of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine specifically for the Omicron variant was on the way. It will be ready by March next year and will be available for use around the world after regulatory approvals.
Note here that the development comes a day after scientists at the African Health Research Institute (AHRI) in South Africa claimed that Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine did not offer significant protection against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Also Read: The Omicron Variant Found In Europe A Week Before South Africa Reported It