WHO says the existing COVID-19 vaccines should protect against Omicron

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) official, existing coronavirus related vaccinations should still protect those who get the Omicron strain. The statement comes as preliminary lab testing in South Africa suggest the new version can partially resist the Pfizer vaccine. According to the researchers, the vaccine's antibodies had a "significant reduction" in their ability to neutralize the new strain. Dr Mike Ryan of the WHO, on the other hand, said there was no indication that Omicron would be better at evading vaccines than other variations. "We have incredibly effective vaccinations that have shown effective against all the variants so far, in terms of severe disease and hospitalization, and there's no reason to anticipate that it wouldn't be the same" for Omicron, according to Dr Ryan, WHO's emergencies director. According to preliminary statistics, Omicron did not make anyone sicker than Delta or other strains. He stated, "If anything, the trend is toward less harshness." Is Omicron gentler as a result of avoiding immunity?

Are immunizations effective against Omicron?

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination may result in up to 40 times less neutralizing antibodies against Omicron than the original Covid strain, according to a recent South African study that has not yet been peer-reviewed. However, Prof Alex Sigal, a virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute, claimed that Omicron's capacity to evade vaccine antibodies is "incomplete." He added the results, which were based on 12 people's blood tests, were "better than I expected of Omicron." Prof. Sigal believes that immunization, in combination with prior infection, could still neutralize the variation. This shows that boosters could be really beneficial. The previous infection, followed by vaccination or a booster, according to scientists, is likely to improve the neutralization level and protect patients from severe disease. In the following days, more information on how well the Pfizer vaccine works against Omicron is likely to be disclosed. There is currently no reliable information on how the Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and other vaccines perform against the new variation.

WHO says the existing COVID-19 vaccines should protect against Omicron

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