Omicron: Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine 'effective' after three doses
Booster being developed for new variant could be ready by March, vaccine makers say
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is "still effective" after "three doses" against the omicron variant of Covid-19, the companies said on Wednesday.
According to studies carried out by the two companies "the vaccine is still effective against Covid-19, also against the omicron variant, if it has been administered three times," but the heavily mutated version of the virus is "probably not sufficiently neutralized after two doses."
"We will continue to develop a vaccine specific to the omicron variant and hope to make it available by March in case an adaptation is necessary," the laboratories said in a statement.
"A third dose provides a level of neutralizing antibodies against omicron similar to that seen after two doses" for the other variants, they added.
"Although two doses of the vaccine may still offer protection against severe disease caused by the omicron strain, it is clear from these preliminary data that protection is improved with a third dose of our vaccine," said Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer of Pfizer.
The omicron variant, considered highly infectious by the World Health Organization (WHO), was first detected at the end of November in South Africa, and was quickly identified in many countries.
Its appearance has caused a wave of panic, especially in Europe, already in the grip of a massive fifth wave of Covid-19 cases caused by the delta variant.
But it does not appear to increase the severity of symptoms, according to the latest data released by the WHO.
It is "almost certain" that omicron does not cause more serious cases than delta, White House pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday.