Omicron Variant Could Weaken COVID Vaccine Protection
December 9, 2021| |
Initial laboratory studies on the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant showed that it is highly likely to compromise the protection provided by COVID vaccines. The researchers, which include teams from South Africa, Germany, and Sweden, as well as the Pfizer-BioNtech collaboration, said that the COVID vaccine protection would still be useful, especially with boosters.
"We're likely to see reduced effectiveness of vaccines against preventing infection," says Penny Moore, a virologist at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, who co-authored one of the studies. "I think it's a strong argument to get boosters out there."
There is still more research needed to measure the capacity of antibodies in people's blood to block the infection of cells, as well as the vaccine's ability to protect against COVID-19.
Read more from Nature.| |
You might also like:
- COVID-19 Resource
- COVID-19 Treatment Efforts Using Plant Technologies
- Cuba's Homegrown COVID-19 Vaccines Show Promise
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- USDA FAS Reports Biotech Updates in Pakistan and Korea
- International Collaboration Brings Wild Wheat's Untapped Diversity into Elite Lines
- Global Database Reveals Humans are Biggest Driver of Plant Homogenization
- Thailand Presents Impressive Line-Up of Biotech Crop R&D During ISAAA's Latest Webinar
- FSANZ Opens Call for Comments on GM Wheat Product Importation
- ISAAA to Release Primer on Genome Editing
- Microbiome Study Provides Strategies for Healthy and Climate-Resistant Fruit and Vegetables
-
Research Highlights
- Suppressing Jasmonate Signaling Attenuation Confers Stress Tolerance in Arabidopsis
-
Plant
- University of Texas Scientists Discover Potential New Gene Editing Tools
- Scientists Use TALENs to Edit Tuna
- Researchers Edit Genomes of Microbes Growing in a Community of Different Species
-
Health
- Omicron Variant Could Weaken COVID Vaccine Protection
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (December 4, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (November 27, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet