Hong Kong Scientists Say Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine Effective Against Omicron Variant

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Scientists from the University of Hong Kong said on Thursday that a booster dose of the Comirnaty vaccine against the coronavirus jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech companies provides a high level of protection from the Omicron strain of the coronavirus.

The scientists found that a two-dose course of vaccination with either Comirnaty or the vaccine CoronaVac, made by China’s Sinovac, provides a poor immune response to Omicron.

"A third dose of Comirnaty vaccine given to those who received two doses of either Comirnaty or CoronaVac provides protective levels of protective antibody against the Omicron variant", the statement on the scientists' research read.

According to the study, a CoronaVac booster dose did not show sufficient results of the immune response to the Omicron strain.

The third dose of Comirnaty administered to a person fully vaccinated with either Comirnaty or CoronaVac six months after the second shot will provide "optimal protection against Omicron variant", according to the research.

The Omicron strain was first identified in South Africa in late November and designated by the World Health Organisation as a variant of concern due to its high transmissibility rate.