Omikron can bypass the immune protection built by the Pfizer vaccine and to some extent eludes the protective shield provided by the preparation. People who were infected first, and then vaccinated later, are to be best protected. South African scientists have come to such conclusions, but they themselves point out that more research is needed on this topic. The WHO also commented on the matter.
- A full dose of Pfizer vaccine does not fully protect against Omikron, researchers in South Africa found who tested 12 samples from people fully vaccinated with Pfizer
- However, Omikron only partially eludes immune protection, and those who were first infected and later vaccinated are best protected.
- However, these are very early results from a small sample, so they may change with subsequent tests. In the WHO assessment, existing vaccines should continue to protect against severe COVID-19 cases
- More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
South African scientists performed tests on 12 samples fully vaccinated with the preparation Pfizerpeople. It turned out that Omikronhas the ability to circumvent the immune protection built up by the vaccine.
Omicron neutralization decrease
“There is a very large decrease in the neutralization of Omicron by BNT162b2 (Pfizer / BioNTech) immunity compared to the original virus,” researcher Alex Sigal wrote on Twitter. However, he added that the infection and the vaccine neutralized the virus.
Some samples showed a 41-fold decrease in the level of neutralizing antibodies against Omikron compared to those generated against one of the earlier virus strains.
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The Sigal team used human lung cells for testing. The blood of six volunteers who were infected and then vaccinated was able to neutralize the virus better. “Previous infection, followed by vaccination or a booster dose, likely increases neutralization levels and likely offers protection against serious disease in the event of an Omicron infection,” concluded Sigal’s team.
- See also: Infections and deaths among vaccinated. How many cases have there been?
The researchers also noted that the Beta variant, which until recently dominated South Africa, also avoids immune protection.
We are waiting for more research
The study has not yet been peer reviewed and has some limitations. First of all, it does not reflect the actual virus infection. The numbers will definitely change because the tests were done on a very small sample. “This is our first data set and it is not adjusted below the lowest dilution applied – we present a crude fold change that is likely to be adjusted as we run more experiments,” Sigal wrote on Twitter.
- See also: COVID, RSV – what else is threatening your child?
The team plans to test more samples and test them against a variety of vaccines, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was also widely used in South Africa.
What about WHO?
There is no indication that the Omikron variant would be better at avoiding vaccination than the other variants, said Dr. Mike Ryan of the WHO. – We have highly effective vaccines. So far, they have proved effective against all variants, in terms of severe disease and hospitalization, and there is no reason to believe that it will still not be so, Dr. Ryan told AFP.
He also noted that preliminary data suggest that Omikron does not cause more severe disease than other strains. Dr. Anthony Fauci, an advisor to the US Ministry of Health, also spoke about it.
Have you been infected with COVID-19 and are worried about the side effects? Check your health by performing a comprehensive test package for convalescents.
See also:
- Symptoms of Omikron infection. What do we know at the moment?
- The omicron has spread to the hotel lobby. Guests who had no contact with each other became infected
- Experts: Omikron will spread over Europe. When will it overtake Delta?
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(DS, mz)