Posted on Jun 25, 2022
Pfizer says its tweaked COVID-19 shots boost protection against the omicron variant
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https://www.npr.org/2022/06/25/ [login to see] /covid-pfizer-omicron-vaccine
Pfizer announced Saturday that tweaking its COVID-19 vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and works — just days before regulators debate whether to offer Americans updated booster shots this fall.
The vaccines currently used in the U.S. still offer strong protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death — especially if people have gotten a booster dose. But those vaccines target the original coronavirus strain and their effectiveness against any infection dropped markedly when the super-contagious omicron mutant emerged.
Pfizer announced Saturday that tweaking its COVID-19 vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and works — just days before regulators debate whether to offer Americans updated booster shots this fall.
The vaccines currently used in the U.S. still offer strong protection against severe COVID-19 disease and death — especially if people have gotten a booster dose. But those vaccines target the original coronavirus strain and their effectiveness against any infection dropped markedly when the super-contagious omicron mutant emerged.
Pfizer says its tweaked COVID-19 shots boost protection against the omicron variant
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Based on these data, we believe we have two very strong omicron-adapted candidates," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
Pfizer's omicron-only booster sparked the strongest immune response against that variant.
But many experts say combination shots may be the best approach because they would retain the proven benefits of the original COVID-19 vaccine while adding new protection against omicron. And Pfizer said a month after people received its combo shot, they had a nine to elevenfold increase in omicron-fighting antibodies. That's more than 1.5 times better than another dose of the original vaccine.
And importantly, preliminary lab studies show the tweaked shots also produce antibodies capable of fighting omicron's genetically distinct relatives named BA.4 and BA.5, although those levels weren't nearly as high.
FILE - In this March 4, 2021, photo, a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at a drive-up mass vaccination site in Puyallup, Wash.
FILE - In this March 4, 2021, photo, a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at a drive-up mass vaccination site in Puyallup, Wash.
Moderna recently announced similar results from tests of its combination shot, what scientists call a "bivalent" vaccine.
The studies weren't designed to track how well updated boosters prevented COVID-19 cases. Nor is it clear how long any added protection would last."...
..."Based on these data, we believe we have two very strong omicron-adapted candidates," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.
Pfizer's omicron-only booster sparked the strongest immune response against that variant.
But many experts say combination shots may be the best approach because they would retain the proven benefits of the original COVID-19 vaccine while adding new protection against omicron. And Pfizer said a month after people received its combo shot, they had a nine to elevenfold increase in omicron-fighting antibodies. That's more than 1.5 times better than another dose of the original vaccine.
And importantly, preliminary lab studies show the tweaked shots also produce antibodies capable of fighting omicron's genetically distinct relatives named BA.4 and BA.5, although those levels weren't nearly as high.
FILE - In this March 4, 2021, photo, a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at a drive-up mass vaccination site in Puyallup, Wash.
FILE - In this March 4, 2021, photo, a vial of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at a drive-up mass vaccination site in Puyallup, Wash.
Moderna recently announced similar results from tests of its combination shot, what scientists call a "bivalent" vaccine.
The studies weren't designed to track how well updated boosters prevented COVID-19 cases. Nor is it clear how long any added protection would last."...
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