"Pfizer, Moderna, and Other Existing Vaccines Cannot Prevent Omicron... Third Dose Likely Ineffective, US Study Finds"

Medical staff are administering the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 vaccination center set up at Mapo-gu Community Sports Center in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A study has found that existing vaccines and most antibody treatments are ineffective against the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

According to a paper published on the 23rd (local time) in the scientific journal Nature, scientists from Columbia University and the University of Hong Kong examined the neutralization capacity of antibodies generated by vaccination against the Omicron variant.

The study was conducted on four vaccines: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson.

The results showed that even after the second dose, the antibody efficacy in neutralizing Omicron was very low. The neutralization ability of antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients against Omicron was weaker than that of vaccine-induced antibodies.

Additionally, the research team predicted that while booster shots of mRNA vaccines like Moderna and Pfizer would temporarily strengthen immunity, they would not be sufficient to fully prevent the Omicron variant.

According to the researchers, COVID-19 vaccines or therapeutic antibodies work by binding to the spike protein on the virus surface to block infection. However, the Omicron variant has many mutations in the spike protein, allowing it to evade attacks from existing vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.

The research team concluded that Omicron is the most complete virus in evading neutralizing antibodies among all COVID variants observed so far.

Professor Ho, director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University Medical School, who led the study, stated, "This suggests that people who have recovered from infection or completed vaccination are still exposed to the risk of Omicron infection."

Professor Ho emphasized, "While a third booster shot may temporarily strengthen immunity, it will not be sufficient to defend against Omicron. We need to predict how COVID-19 will evolve and develop vaccines and treatments accordingly."

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