Three U.S. studies show that a third dose of an mRNA vaccine is key to fighting the Omicron coronavirus variant, providing 90% protection against hospitalization due to COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on January 21.
In very young children, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus causes less severe disease than the Delta variant, according to a new study. In other research, new findings add to evidence that people with a certain version of a gene are less likely to develop severe COVID-19.
The World Health Organization on January 21 recommended extending the use of a reduced dosage of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 years old.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and White House chief medical advisor, said they expect the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children under the age of 5 years in the next month.
A small preliminary laboratory study has shown that levels of Omicron-neutralizing antibodies of people vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine did not decline as much as those who had Pfizer shots.
Pfizer released data from several studies showing that nirmatrelvir, the active main protease inhibitor of the company’s antiviral combination therapy Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir), is effective against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a study conducted by 23andMe and published in Nature Genetics identified a genetic risk factor tied to the loss of smell from COVID-19.
Speaking with French newspaper Le Figaro, Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said he believes the world will “return to normal life” sometime during the spring of 2022.
Pfizer Inc. said on Wednesday booster doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine can be administered along with its pneumonia vaccine and produced strong safety and immune responses in people aged 65 and above in a late-stage study.
With record-shattering new cases of COVID-19 across the United States, the urgency for vaccinations is even greater than ever. In addition, Pfizer reported that an Omicron-specific vaccine will be available in March, should it be necessary.
BioNTech said the German COVID-19 vaccine maker developed a method to quickly determine whether a new virus variant is a cause for concern, collaborating with British artificial intelligence startup InstaDeep Ltd.
