Booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine provide 70-75% protection against mild disease from the new Omicron variant, the United Kingdom Health Insurance Agency (UKHSA) announced on Friday.
An analysis of 581 people infected with Omicron found that two doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines provided much lower levels of protection against symptomatic infection than those against variant D.
However, with a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine, protection against symptomatic infection reached 70-75%, regardless of the initial vaccine they gave.
These findings are some of the first data on vaccine protection, other than laboratory studies, which have shown reduced protection against Omicron. The first data in “normal conditions” show that, although Omicron can significantly reduce the protection provided by the initial two doses, the booster restores it, to some extent.
“These initial assessments should be treated with caution, but they suggest that a few months after the second dose, there is a greater risk of developing the Omicron variant compared to Delta,” said Dr. Mary Ramsey, head of the department. UKHSA Immunization.
According to Ramsey, the risk of developing a more serious illness is significantly reduced after the booster dose and that is why he called on all citizens “to take the booster dose if they are eligible”.
UKHSA estimates that, based on current trends, by mid-December Omicron will be responsible for over 50% of all infections in the UK.
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