NYT "AstraZeneca Can't Block Omicron... Only Moderna and Pfizer Can"

Middle and Low-Income Countries Mostly Receive Non-mRNA Vaccines
"If Risky Variants Continue to Emerge, the Pandemic Will Prolong"

Moderna vaccines are prepared for vaccination at Hongik Hospital in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Most of the COVID-19 vaccines developed so far have shown excellent effectiveness in preventing severe cases caused by the 'Omicron' variant. However, research results indicate that only the mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines developed by US companies Pfizer and Moderna exhibit strong effectiveness in preventing infection by the Omicron variant itself. This raises concerns that low- and middle-income countries, which have mainly administered non-mRNA vaccines, may find it difficult to curb the spread of the virus.

On the 19th (local time), the US media outlet 'The New York Times (NYT)' reported that an increasing number of studies show that most vaccines other than Pfizer and Moderna?such as AstraZeneca (AZ), Johnson & Johnson (a Janssen subsidiary), and vaccines from China and Russia?fail to prevent infection by the Omicron variant. Products from AZ, Johnson & Johnson, Russia, and China are viral vector or inactivated vaccines, not mRNA vaccines.

Among these, Chinese vaccines like Sinopharm and Sinovac are known to have almost 'zero' effectiveness in preventing Omicron variant infections. These vaccines account for nearly half of the global vaccine supply.

The AZ vaccine's effectiveness in preventing Omicron variant infection significantly decreases six months after vaccination. In India, 90% of vaccine recipients have received the AZ vaccine, and it has been distributed 67 million times across 44 countries through the global vaccine supply program COVAX, making it widely used in low- and middle-income countries.

Medical staff preparing for vaccination / Photo by Yonhap News

Russia's Sputnik vaccine is also presumed to have very low protective effectiveness against the Omicron variant.

Unlike other vaccines that recommend two doses, Johnson & Johnson, which uses a 'single-dose' regimen, has also shown weak effectiveness in preventing Omicron variant infection.

Given this situation, concerns have arisen that countries without sufficient mRNA vaccine supplies may not be able to respond adequately to COVID-19 in the future. Using vaccines with low infection prevention effectiveness makes it obvious that the virus will spread rapidly, and citizens may refuse vaccines with low efficacy.

In this regard, Tolbert Nyens, a senior researcher at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the media, "The new threat to Southern Hemisphere countries relying on non-mRNA vaccines is the result of wealthy countries not sharing vaccine technology or helping build production facilities in low- and middle-income countries." He pointed out, "If dangerous variants continue to emerge in regions with low vaccination rates, the COVID-19 pandemic could be prolonged."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.