New York, Jan. 22 (US): Three studies released Friday provided more evidence that COVID-19 vaccines withstand the omicron variant, at least among people who received booster shots, the Associated Press reports.
Health officials said they are the first large US studies looking at vaccine protection against omicron.
The papers replicate previous research — including studies in Germany, South Africa and the United Kingdom — that suggest available vaccines are less effective against omicron than previous versions of the coronavirus, but also that booster doses increase virus-fighting antibodies to increase the chance of avoiding symptoms. infection.
The first study looked at hospitalizations, emergency rooms and urgent care center visits in 10 states, from August through this month.
It found that the vaccine was better effective after three doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in preventing COVID-19-related emergency department and urgent care visits. Protection decreased from 94% during a delta wave to 82% during an omicron wave. Protection from only two doses was lower, especially if six months had passed since the second dose.
Officials stressed the goal of preventing not only infection but severe disease. In that regard, there’s some good news: The study also found that a third dose was at least 90% effective in preventing hospitalization for COVID-19, during the delta and omicron periods.
The second study focused on COVID-19 cases and death rates in 25 states from the beginning of April through Christmas. People who got a boost had the highest level of protection against infection with the coronavirus, during the time when Delta was dominant and also when Omicron was in charge.
These two articles were published online by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published the third study, led by CDC researchers. It looked at people who tested positive for COVID-19 from December 10 to January 1 at more than 4,600 testing sites across the United States.
Three shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were about 67% effective against omicron-related diseases compared to unvaccinated people. However, the researchers found that the two doses did not offer significant protection against omicron when measured several months after completing the original series.
“It really shows the importance of getting a booster dose,” said Emma Accorsi of the CDC, one of the study’s authors.
Americans should get boosters if at least five months have passed since they completed the Pfizer or Moderna series, but eligible millions have not.
“If you qualify for a booster and you don’t get one, you’re not up to date and you need to get a booster,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walinsky said during a White House briefing Friday.
AOQ