Topline
Three doses of Covid-19 vaccine provide stronger omicron variants compared to two main series doses, according to a new Danish study Protection, the finding provides more support for the booster’s effectiveness as the US government prepares to launch a vaccine specifically targeting the omicron strain.
A nurse prepares to manage Pfizer’s COVID-19 intensification shooting.
Key Facts
According to published in PLOS Medicine : Between 12 and 59 years old In the population of 14 to 30 days after vaccination, two doses of the vaccine were only 40% effective in preventing omicron infection, falling to 12.6% 4 months after vaccination.
Three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine simultaneously provide 55.1% in 18- to 59-year-olds omicron infection protection, fell to 52.3% after four months, and a similar rate was observed in people aged 60 and older, according to the researchers who examined data on Danish residents aged 12 and older.
Booster shots also appear to provide greater protection against omicron hospitalization: at age 60 and Among those above, the vaccine was 83.3 percent effective at preventing hospitalizations four months after the third shot, and 77.6 percent among those 60 and older four months after two shots . Those 18 to 59 years old (those 60 and older with only two injections were not included, as nearly all opted for the third dose of the omicron wave).
This study suggests that, given the new coronavirus infection, a third dose “is necessary to maintain protection against coronavirus infection, and prevent hospitalization” omicron variants, the authors write.
News Peg
Biden Administration May Introduce New Covid Booster shots for omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 over Labor Day weekend. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week approved updated vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which are available to all Americans 12 and older two months after their last shot, after approval by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Main background
Previous studies found little protection against symptomatic omicron infection with only primary vaccination series or prior Covid infection, whereas Other studies have shown that booster doses provide additional protection for hospital admissions, emergency room and urgent care visits. The omicron variant was first reported in South Africa in November 2021, leading to a surge in winter coronavirus infections in the United States, resulting in a surge in Covid hospitalizations and deaths. The variant has specific mutations in its spike protein, the part of the virus that binds to human cells, that helps it evade the immune system and antibodies from previous coronavirus infections and vaccines. The Biden administration hopes to stem the winter surge of the new coronavirus with new drugs targeting omicron substrains BA.4 and BA.5, which quickly became dominant after entering the United States in late March.
Further reading
New Covid booster for Omicron now FDA-authorized — here’s what you need to know (Forbes)
What you need to know about how vaccines can protect you from Omicron (Forbes)
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