9 December 2021
18114
2021-12-09 11:01
Pfizer says a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may protect against the new omicron variant. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said that while two doses may not be protective enough to prevent infection, lab tests showed a booster increased by 25-fold people's levels of virus-fighting antibodies. Scientists have speculated that the high jump in antibodies that comes with a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines might be enough to counter any decrease in effectiveness.
Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO said "It's very good news preliminary because we are waiting to see more data, more accurate data with the more accurate essays that will come in a week or two. And then, of course, real world data. But so far, it looks like a third booster improves dramatically the efficacy of it."
Pfizer and BioNTech already are working to create an omicron-specific vaccine in case it's needed.