Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
For: EFE
Saturday, November 23
WHO says it is unknown if vaccines have reduced effectiveness against Omicron
The World Health Organization today asked not to draw hasty conclusions about the effectiveness of current anticovid vaccines against the Omicron variant , since the initial data pointing to a decrease in immune protection come from laboratory studies and “not from real life”.
“We can understand the great interest and concern that exists around whether vaccines protect against Ómicron, let’s remember that there was a similar concern when Delta appeared “Said WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan.
He recalled that When the Delta variant emerged, it was also said that vaccines were less effective , but later it was understood that these results corresponded to studies performed in laboratories, while “in real life all vaccines work well to prevent severe cases and hospitalizations”
Some preliminary studies would indicate that vaccines that use RNA technology (Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna) perform better compared to Ómicron, but the expert considered that this is also a hasty conclusion.
At a press conference, Swaminathan asked to be very careful with these studies and “not to over-interpret the information on the (apparent) reduction in the effectiveness of omicron vaccines ”, a variant that appeared in November in southern Africa and has now spread to about ninety countries.
The scientist said that laboratory studies do not take into account other aspects of the immune system of individuals that play a role extremely important when it comes to protecting them against serious infection.
It may interest you:
· Anthony Fauci warns that US hospitals will be filled again by Ómicron
· Moderna ensures that its booster dose increases protection against Ómicron
· WHO confirms that vaccinated and cured of COVID – 19 can be infected by Omicron