A vaccine against COVID-19, developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer in cooperation with the German corporation BioNTech, may be less effective in the fight against the new Omicron coronavirus strain.
This is reported by NBC News.
According to researchers from the African Health Research Institute, the number of antibodies induced by the vaccine that can neutralize Omicron has been reduced by about 40 times.
In addition, experts point out that the new variant of the coronavirus was “even more proficient in evading the antibodies produced by the Pfizer vaccine than the Beta variant, which also first appeared in South Africa.”
At the same time, South African experts point out that the antibodies that people who have had natural illness and who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 may have enough antibodies to protect against the worst effects of Omicron.
“A previous infection followed by a vaccination or booster vaccination is likely to increase the neutralization rate and is likely to provide protection against serious illness if infected with Omicron,” said South African scientists.
The study is based on blood samples 12 patients fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine but did not receive an additional (booster) injection.
According to the head of the trial, Alex Segal, a virologist in South Africa, the results may change as researchers conduct more experiments.
Earlier, the chief US infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci said that according to preliminary data, the Omicron COVID strain may be less dangerous than Delta. He pointed out that in South Africa, where Omicron is gradually becoming the dominant strain, there is no significant increase in hospital admissions.
November 26, World Health Organization qualified the new SARS-Co coronavirus strain V-2, dubbed “Omicron,” as a matter of concern. This variant was first discovered on November 9 in southern Africa.
