Small study shows Pfizer vaccine yields 40-fold reduction in antibodies against omicron variant

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More grounds suggests Pfizer’s vaccine whitethorn not connection overmuch extortion against the omicron variant.

Researchers astatine the African Health Research Institute successful South Africa evaluated humor samples from 12 radical who received 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The intent was to measure however the shots fared erstwhile faced with omicron.   

According to the manuscript, which has not yet been adjacent reviewed, the fig showed a staggering 40-fold simplification successful neutralizing antibodies compared to the archetypal virus. 

“The happening astir immoderate variant — whether its omicron oregon immoderate different 1 — is that their familial constitution is evolving successful specified a mode and mutating successful specified a mode arsenic to effort to evade the existing protections,” Dr. Christopher Doehring, vice president of aesculapian affairs astatine Franciscan Health, told News 8.

“The concerning happening astir omicron is that it has truthful galore antithetic mutations that person changed the quality of that spike macromolecule to the immune system,” Doehring added.

Doehring says he’s hopeful the vaccines volition supply immoderate extortion against infection, terrible unwellness and death. However, those results person yet to beryllium seen successful studies. 

To date, omicron has been identified successful implicit fractional of U.S. states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates it makes up conscionable 3% of each COVID-19 cases.