Scientists, doctors, and all the health workers are working day and night to fight against the COVID, but their stress is not over yet; as the new variant is spreading in a “J” curve all over the world, researchers are experimenting with all possible tests to get as much data is possible to get of this new variant, It is already declared as a Variant of concern, that indicates it is likely to be extremely transmissible, which we can say by the charts that it may be more than any other variant and may replace the dominance of the Delta variant.
A Booster Dose Can Be The Lifesaver Against Omicron
Rockefeller University researchers found in a study that the Omicron variant is more likely to escape the antibodies developed by the previous infection of Covid or the double dose of Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine; researchers are still testing if the booster doses are effective or not, many international institutions are collaborating to fasten the process of testing.
Virologist Paul Bieniasz, the co-led of the study, said in an interview that it is not true to say that two doses of mRNA mean fully vaccinated or those infected with Covid don’t need the vaccine; they may not be safe from the new Omicron.
The efficacy of the vaccines is not yet confirmed for this variant; that’s why the researchers are tenser about the robustness of people’s immunity. Most of the countries are not fully vaccinated or have taken both doses.
Scientists are suggesting based on new research that booster doses may be needed to stop the spread of the Omicron. The two doses will still protect the people from deaths and serious infections, but boosters will act as an extra shield that the new variant will not be able to bypass. Due to the very high transmission rate of the Omicron, it is very important to develop antibodies in people to make them strong enough to fight this new variant.
To see how well immune cells reacted to Omicron, the researchers mixed 169 plasma specimens with an innocuous virus containing the omicron variant’s spike protein or the spike of the existing SARS-CoV-2 for contrast. The researchers then assessed how well the plasma specimens neutralized the two variants.
The neutralizing ability of blood plasma was significantly reduced by Omicron, decreased 31-179 folds(it was 2-3 folds in the case of delta variant, it shows the transmissible character of the virus), in unvaccinated COVID survivors and persons who had received two doses of mRNA vaccinations or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine (in contrast, the delta variant has been found to cause only a two-fold decrease).
The fact that a large portion of persons in these groups had extremely low levels of neutralizing antibodies, sometimes even below the detection level, was particularly worrying, according to the researchers.
Every country in the world is trying to stop the spread of Omicron by banning international travel and celebrations. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backed “test-to-stay” strategies that avoid sending unvaccinated children home from school in an effort to limit disruption.
Those persons who received a Booster dose of mRNA have made significant differences as compared to those who received two doses of vaccine; it was seen that 30 -200 folds neutralization process was increased on the omicron variant.
Many universities and research institutes are already in the process of testing the booster doses. When we will have enough data and approved by WHO, then the government can distribute it to the general public; it will be too early to get to a decision which is the reason why many countries are taking steps that are not fruitful in panic.
