An Israeli study shows to support the findings from Pfizer and BioNTech that three doses of their vaccine, together with a booster, gives strong protection towards the new coronavirus Omicron variant, reported by Reuters.
An Israeli study shows to support the findings from Pfizer and BioNTech that three doses of their vaccine, together with a booster, give strong protection towards the new coronavirus Omicron variant.
An Israeli Study Towards the Omicron Variant
Study shows from the researchers in the Israeli Ministry of Health’s Central Virology Laboratory and Sheba Medical Center, that the blood samples from the 20 people who had received a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine one month ago and compared it the other of 20 people who received a second dose of the vaccine between five and six months ago were analyzed by Gili Regev-Yochay, the director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Sheba Medical Center, that the booster dose increases about a hundredfold of protection against the Omicron, while there was no neutralization ability towards Omicron to those who already had their second shot in the span of five or six months ago.
Hence, a booster can provide strong significant protection towards the Omicron. However, she also mentioned that the protection offered against Omicron “is quite lower than the neutralization potential against the Delta, about four times lower.”
Pfizer and BioNTech
Pfizer and BioNTech Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer released a statement earlier this week, saying that the Omicron variant was neutralized by a three-dose of their vaccine, their initial studies show that the two shots of the vaccine might still offer protection against severe disease caused by the new strain, However a clear result from preliminary data that protection becomes stronger with the third dose of Pfizer vaccine.
Furthermore, Bourla also said that “to ensure many people that are fully vaccinated with the first two-dose series and a booster remains the best shield to prevent the severity and spread of COVID-19,”
The Omicron Variant
The Omicron variant was originated last month in South Africa and quickly spread to other countries forcing to implement of travel restrictions against southern African countries in hopes of curbing its spread.
In addition according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that the new variant is less severe than the other strains of the virus. The CDC still alerts everyone that even if the most contagion is mild, a highly infectious variant could still result enough to overwhelm health systems.
