Despite the new Omikron coronavirus variant, the development of an adapted vaccine is not necessary for the time being, says US virologist Anthony Fauci, as reported by the Financial Times. On Wednesday, Fauci, who also advises US President Joe Biden, released new data on booster vaccinations with the vaccine from Moderna.
These show that the third vaccination produces enough antibodies to neutralize the virus. Accordingly, antibodies in the laboratory have increased twenty-fold after the booster vaccination.
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Data on the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer have already shown similar results and suggest that a booster vaccination will also work against the strongly mutated variant.
Several vaccine manufacturers, including Biontech, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are working on studies to find out whether a new vaccine against Omikron is necessary and are already developing one.
Fauci again urged people in the country to get vaccinated on Wednesday. “After all, our booster vaccinations work against Omikron, too,” he said.
At this point in time, there is no need for a variant-specific refresher. To date, 61 percent of the US population has received two doses of vaccine. Around 27 percent of them received a booster vaccination. (Tsp with dpa)
