The new COVID-19 variant, Omicron has spread rapidly around the world and so far, has been detected in at least 57 countries. As far as India is concerned, Omicron cases have been on the rise. It is not clear whether the Omicron variant causes milder symptoms as compared to other COVID-19 variants, but a lot has been said about Omicron’s ability to evade the protective layers of the existing vaccines. In a chat with the local.de, the chief virologist at the Charite hospital in Berlin, Christian Drosten, had expressed concern about the speed at which omicron is spreading, because, in South Africa and the UK, the number of cases is doubling every three to four days.
The virologist is also worried that Omicron can most likely escape the protective layers of the existing vaccines. This indicates that people who have been vaccinated and have even received a booster shot can get infected with the Omicron variant. A couple of studies represent a strong, approximately 40-fold reduction, in the neutralizing effect of antibodies in a number of combinations of vaccination and natural infection. Neither naturally nor vaccine-induced antibodies can prevent the virus from evading the body’s immunity.
However, vaccine manufacturing companies have issued updates on the ability of their vaccines to fight the Omicron variant.
The initial laboratory study demonstrated that serum antibodies induced by the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine have the ability to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant after three doses. Sera obtained from vaccines, one month after receiving the booster vaccination, neutralized the Omicron variant. The laboratory study claimed that more robust protection will be achieved by a third dose as it will increase the antibody titers by 25-fold.
As far as the Moderna vaccine is concerned, the chief medical officer Paul Burton had stated that the vaccinated people will be protected, depending on how long ago they got their shots. During his appearance on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, he suggested that the best step right now is to take one of the current Covid vaccines.
So far, there is no reliable information on the severity of the COVID-19 disease with the omicron variant as no extensive study or research has been held.
