Omicron COVID-19 Variant: Pfizer, BioNTech Unsure About Vaccine Efficacy Against New Variant
With the new COVID-19 variant that's deadlier than the previous delta variant, there are new challenges that the medical fraternity across the world is facing.
Noting that they are not sure whether their vaccines would work against new COVID-19 variant 'Omicron, Pfizer and BioNTech promised to develop a new vaccine against the strain within 100 days.
This comes after the new COVID-19 strain, the B.1.1.529, first traced in South Africa, has been identified as a Variant of Concern by World Health Organization. WHO named the variant with the Greek letter 'Omicron'. The variant has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.??
What Pfizer, BioNTech said
A spokesperson for medical company BioNTech, which developed a coronavirus vaccine together with Pfizer, said on Friday that the firm would need two more weeks to determine its inoculation¡¯s effectiveness against the new COVID-19 Omicron variant.
¡°We expect more data from the laboratory tests in two weeks at the latest. This data will provide more information about whether B.1.1.529 could be an escape variant that may require an adjustment of our vaccine if the variant spreads globally,¡± a BioNTech spokesperson told Reuters, using the previous name for the strain.
The German company¡¯s spokeswoman said it has already begun testing samples of the new variant and noted that it ¡°differs significantly from previously observed variants.¡±
The spokeswoman also said that Pfizer and BioNTech already have plans in place to be able to adapt their vaccine in just six weeks and to ship it out within 100 days, as new variants sprout up.
What Moderna said
Meanwhile, Moderna said it will develop a booster shot against the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. It is one of three strategies the company is working to address the new threat, including a higher dose of its existing vaccine, Moderna said.
"The mutations in the Omicron variant are concerning and for several days, we have been moving as fast as possible to execute our strategy to address this variant," said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.??
About new variant, Omicron
The World Health Organization classified the new Omicron strain as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the Delta variant, now the world¡¯s most prevalent. The panel said early evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection.
The announcement on Friday from the United Nations health agency marks the first time in months that WHO has classified a COVID-19 variant as a variant of concern.
The discovery of the new variant sent a chill through much of the world Friday as nations raced to halt air travel, markets fell sharply and scientists held emergency meetings to weigh the exact risks, which were largely unknown.
Medical experts, including the WHO, warned against any overreaction before the variant that originated in southern Africa was better understood. But a jittery world feared the worst nearly two years after COVID-19 emerged and triggered a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people around the globe.
For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
