The research chief of a laboratory at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa said the Omicron variant of the coronavirus can partially circumvent protection from two doses of Pfizer and partner BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine.
Nonetheless, the study found that blood from persons who had two doses of the vaccination and had a past illness was able to neutralize the variation in the majority of cases, implying that booster doses of the vaccine may help ward off infection.
Africa Health Research Institute professor Alex Sigal stated on Twitter that the Omicron variant's neutralization was "much reduced" in comparison to an earlier strain of COVID-19.
The Omicron varant, first detected in southern Africa last month, has tiggered global jitters of another outbreak, with infections reported in more than a dozen countries ranging from the United States to Japan.
Laboratory tests were performed on 12 people who received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, according to a manuscript posted on his website. No peer review has been done yet on the preliminary findings in the manuscript.
The publication stated that blood from five out of six patients who had been vaccinated and had previously been infected with COVID-19 still neutralized the Omicron strain.
"These findings are superior to my expectations. The more antibodies you possess, the more likely you are to be protected against Omicron, Sigal tweeted.
We have completed our first experiments on neutralization of Omicron by Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccination elicited immunity Manuscript available at https://t.co/rGaEB9GdmS and should be available on medRxiv in the coming days — Alex Sigal (@sigallab) December 7, 2021
Sigal said that the laboratory has not tested the variant against blood from individuals who had taken a booster dose, as they are not yet available in South Africa.
The team observed a 41-fold decrease in neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron version, according to the document.
Scientists believe that vaccines also stimulate cells like B-cells and T-cells that help to defend against the effects of coronavirus. Neutralizing antibodies are a good indicator of the body's immune response.
Based on preliminary evidence, the vaccine is not less effective at preventing severe disease or mortality. While laboratory testing are ongoing, BioNTech chief executive officer Ugur Sahin stated last week that they think it is likely that humans will have significant protection against serious sickness caused by Omicron.
The World Health Organization classed Omicron as a "variant of concern" on Nov. 26, but pointed out there was no evidence to support the necessity for new immunizations targeted directly at the Omicron variation's multiple mutations.
