Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine 40 Times Less Effective Against Omicron Variant

South African researchers found that the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine might be 40 times less effective against Omicron than previous coronavirus strains while still providing protection.

The African Health Research Institute experts stated that the vaccine's immune protection was "extensive but insufficient." The title of the first published trial that tested the vaccination against Omicron is "Sars-CoV-2 Omicron Has Extensive but Incomplete Escape of Pfizer BNT162b2 Elicited Neutralization and Requires ACE2 for Infection."

COVID-19 Omicron Variant: Pfizer Antibodies Partial Protection Only

Dr. Alex Sigal of the Africa Health Research Institute has presented the results of his team's preliminary investigation on the Omicron variation and its effect on people who have already been vaccinated. The study analyzed blood samples from 12 patients who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.

According to Bloomberg, the researchers discovered that Omicron caused at least a 40-fold drop in neutralizing antibodies generated by those who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech SE vaccines, compared to the strain discovered almost two years ago in China.

Dr. Sigal and his team's publication depicts the study in its early phases, concentrating on why the Omicron vaccine repels the Pfizer vaccine so strongly, despite being a very effective vaccination against the virus. Omicron, like previous variations, employs ACE2 receptors to bind with cells and infect them, which is crucial since it means it is traceable and can be battled with existing medication.

According to the study's authors (via Financial Times), Omicron evaded antibody neutralization "far more extensively[ly]" than the Beta version, which was previously prevalent in South Africa. Omicron did not completely avoid the vaccination despite the considerable decrease in antibody production.

"Previous infection + vaccination still neutralizes," he added. Sigal also told CNN that the findings are encouraging. He said that the mutations that define the Omicron variety appeared to allow it to bypass vaccination protection to a larger extent.

Pfizer's vaccine is best known for its mRNA basis, which has been outstanding in medicine and has helped the company gain a lot of money, especially with its public immunity. The Pfizer vaccine is enough to prevent and has an appropriate protection rate for the Delta Variant. Still, the study's early results suggest differently for the Omicron.

WHO: Vaccines Should Still Work Against Omicron Variant

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) expert, existing immunizations should still protect those who get the Omicron strain from severe COVID cases.

Dr. Mike Ryan of the WHO said there was no indication that Omicron would be better at evading vaccinations than other variations.

"We have highly effective vaccines that have proved effective against all the variants so far, in terms of severe disease and hospitalisation, and there's no reason to expect that it wouldn't be so" for Omicron, Dr Ryan, the WHO's emergencies director, told AFP news agency (via BBC).

According to preliminary statistics, Omicron did not make anyone sicker than Delta or other strains. If anything, he believes the trend is toward less harshness.

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