Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine “neutralises Omicron with three shots.”
Pfizer and BioNTech have said a booster jab of their coronavirus vaccine promises to be an effective defence against the new Omicron variant, the latest variant that is rapidly spreading around the world.
Preliminary lab studies show two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may not provide sufficient protection, however, the third ‘booster’ shot increases antibodies 25-fold.
“This is very positive news that should make everyone even more motivated to get vaccinated,” said Pfizer Chief Scientific Officer Mikael Dolsten.
The findings were issued in a press release by the companies, and were not peer reviewed and published in a scientific journal.
The results also bolsters the case for repeated and periodic boosters to maintain people’s immune defences against an evolving Covid-19, Pfizer and BioNTech said.
President Joe Biden called the preliminary results “very, very encouraging.”
On Wednesday, executives at Pfizer explained that the Omicron variant could increase the likelihood that people will need a fourth coronavirus vaccine dose earlier than expected.
Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box”, Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s chief executive, said that the timeline for a fourth jab might need to be moved up.
In a sign that triple vaccination status will be soon be required for travel, the Dutch Minister of Health, Hugo de Jonge, announced that starting from February 2022 the country’s authorities will only recognise Covid-19 vaccination certificates that indicate that the holder has received a booster shot.
Many countries around the world have started imposing an expiry date on vaccine validity, which can be extended by getting an additional dose.
In Austria, vaccine validity expired 360 days after your second dose, but from December 6 this changed to 270 days.
In Israel, vaccine validity expires 180 days after the second dose. Visitors must ensure their vaccination validity does not expire for the duration of their stay in the country.
On November 25, the European Commission proposed that vaccine validity should be set at nine months, which, if passed, will apply to all member states from January 10, 2022.
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