Study suggests Pfizer vaccine may only partially protect against Omicron
[Reuters]
The Omicron variant of coronavirus can partially evade protection from two doses of vaccine made by Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech, Alex Sigal, the research head of a South African laboratory, said on Tuesday.
However, the study, based on preliminary data that has not yet been peer-reviewed, showed recipients of two vaccine doses who had a prior infection were mostly able to neutralize the variant, suggesting booster doses could help fend off infection.
On Twitter, Sigal said there was “a very large drop” in neutralization of Omicron, compared to an earlier variant.
The lab tested blood from 12 people given two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, a manuscript posted on its website showed. [Reuters]
