BioNTech
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Pfizer and BioNTech reported laboratory assays indicating that three doses of their mRNA COVID-19 vaccine are effective against the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.
Pfizer’s preliminary laboratory studies have shown that the third booster dose increases the neutralizing antibody titers by 25-fold compared to two doses against the Omicron variant.
Despite having 37 new mutations in the viral spike protein, there does not appear to be any deaths associated with Omicron, although it’s spreading rapidly in South Africa.
Data is still coming in from South Africa and other regions about the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. Early analysis suggests it causes less severe disease than other variants.
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, countries are reporting the fourth wave of rising cases, driven mainly by the Delta variant, although Omicron has everybody concerned. Here’s a look.
Researchers from Harvard University and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) found that the Moderna mRNA vaccine was slightly better than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had been identified in California.
Research continues to reveal how COVID-19 affects different people with different health issues, both short-term and long-term.
It may take two to four weeks before experts have enough data to know whether Omicron is a bigger threat than Delta. Much of what is known is based on lab tests and models of the virus’ spike protein mutations.
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