London: Thanasis Gavos
Both doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer coronavirus vaccine provide high but not complete protection against hospitalization and death from the Omicron variant, but that protection declines significantly three to six months later, according to models from the SAGE Scientific Committee. advising the British Government.
According to the Daily Mail website, which analyzed these computer models published by the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine at the weekend, Johnson’s government advisers estimate that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine cover serious illness at a rate of 83.7%. The two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine provide 77.1% protection respectively.
Three to six months later, however, that protection drops to 67.6% and 61.3% for Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, respectively.
The booster dose of Pfizer vaccine, which is the main preparation for the third dose in the UK, increases protection to 93%, regardless of which vaccine was given for the first two doses. This is a similar percentage of protection to that of the third dose against the Delta variant.
It is emphasized, however, that these models are based on laboratory studies of antibodies and not on actual data.
The British government’s scientific advisers estimate in any case that Omicron could cause a higher peak of hospitalization compared to January and the peak of the second wave of the pandemic in Britain, when up to 4,000 patients were admitted to hospital every day.
Infectious disease professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia estimated that protection against serious disease from both doses could be even higher, as in addition to antibodies the body’s defense is strengthened by the activation of the most difficult to measure T lymphocytes.
On the other hand, Dr. Simon Clark from the University of Reading stressed that the rapid decline in protection after a few months is “worrying”.
He added that even with 84% coverage against a serious illness, there remains a risk exposure rate of 16%, almost three times that of the Delta variant.
In preventing mild symptomatic Omicron infection, the two doses of AstraZeneca are only 36.1% effective after six months and Pfizer 46.7%.
The booster dose with Pfizer, however, reduces the risk of symptomatic Omicron infection by 80.3%.
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