The study found that the Pfizer vaccine reduced its neutralization ability to "Omi kerong" by more than 40 times

Over time, more and more studies of drugs and vaccines targeting the "Omikeron" variant have gradually surfaced, providing a reference for the effectiveness of existing therapies in dealing with the COVID-19 variant.

The latest findings come from vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech. According to a small preliminary study released Tuesday, "Omi kerong" produced partial immune escape from the vaccine, and the variant significantly reduced the antibodies produced by the vaccine.

The study, from a team at the African Institute of Health, found that the antibody neutralization ability against the "Omi kerong" variant was reduced by a factor of 41 compared to the vaccine against the original strain of the vaccine in 14 serum samples from vaccinated people. Previously, the vaccine's neutralization ability against the Beta variant was only reduced by a factor of 3, which means that "Omi Kerong" has a wider immune escape ability than other variants.

But researchers in South Africa say people who have been infected with the virus and recovered, or who have received boosted vaccinations, may be better protected from serious diseases. Six of those who participated in the study had been infected with THE NEW CROWN VIRUS.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said earlier Tuesday that the company could develop a vaccine specifically targeting "Omilon" by March next year if needed. But he said it will still take weeks to get clearer data on whether the current vaccine provides enough protection against the variant.

Both Pfizer and Moderna executives have said the immune protection provided by both doses of the vaccine may decline against "Omilon."

Similar to the principle of immune protection that virus mutations may escape vaccines, viral mutations also pose a greater risk to the effectiveness of COVID-19 antibody drugs. Previous data from Regeneration Yuan Company showed that the effectiveness of existing antibodies against "Omi Kerong" may decline, and a new antibody therapy needs to be developed.

But there is good news for a study by British pharmaceutical company GSK, which said Tuesday that a COVID-19 antibody drug developed with U.S. partner Vir may still be effective against all covid-19 mutations, including the "Omilon" variant.

GSK said in a statement that data not yet published in peer-reviewed medical journals suggest that experiments against the fake virus have found that the covid-19 therapy sotorovimab developed by the two companies is effective against all 37 mutations found in the coronavirus spike protein to date.

Although "Omiljunn" is currently thought to cause milder symptoms, South African scientists have found that the "Omiljun" variant may lead to a stronger breakthrough infection, which means that even people who have already been infected with the variant or vaccinated are more likely to be re-infected with the virus.

Anthony Fauci, the White House's chief medical adviser, told reporters at a COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday that new case data from South Africa on the infection of the "Omikeron" variant "clearly indicate that the variant is extremely contagious." But Fauci said it is still impossible to tell whether the variant will cause more serious disease.

Some believe that if the symptoms of the disease caused by "Omicron" are mild, it may be good news. However, Pfizer CEO Burra does not think so, he warned that the rapid spread of the virus may lay hidden dangers for future mutations.

"I don't think there's good news about fast-spreading mutants." Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's CEO Summit in Burra, he said, "Rapid spread means that the virus could infect billions of people and could see another mutation appear more quickly." ”