Omicron-specific vaccines may give slightly better COVID protection – but getting boosted promptly is the best bet

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 11:41:50 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/omicron-specific-vaccines-may-give-slightly-better-covid-protection-but-getting-boosted-promptly-is-the-best-bet-190736>

"Vaccines (predominantly mRNA vaccines) have been our front-line defence
against COVID and have saved millions of lives.

Despite the emergence of genetically distinct COVID variants throughout the
pandemic, we’ve relied on vaccines that target the spike protein from the virus
originally detected in Wuhan, China. While still providing excellent
protection, mRNA vaccines are less effective against newer variants with
immunity waning within months of immunisation.

Australia’s Omicron bivalent (two-strain) COVID vaccine has been approved for
use and will be rolled out as stocks of the original vaccines need replacing.

While we hope they will provide better protection than existing vaccines, the
little data we have so far suggests they only provide slightly better
protection.

So, if you’re eligible for your fourth dose, it makes sense to get boosted with
whichever COVID vaccine you’re offered now – rather than waiting until the
Omicron-specific boosters enter circulation."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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