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Early Omicron Breakthroughs Show MRNA Vaccines? WeaknessAntony Sguazzin 06:01 PM IST, 19 Jan 2022 12:31 AM IST, 19 Jan 2022(Bloomberg) -- Booster shots with messenger RNA vaccines such as those made by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE failed to block omicron in a study of some of the first documented breakthrough cases caused by the highly contagious variant.Seven German visitors to Cape Town experienced symptomatic Covid-19 infections between late November and early December despite being boosted, the researchers, whose investigation was authorized by the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, said in findings published Tuesday in The Lancet. All the cases were mild or moderate, providing support for the extra shots? ability to fend off severe disease, death and hospitalizations. Still, the findings demonstrate omicron?s ability to evade immunity generated by even the most powerful Covid-19 vaccine boosters. That underscores the need to continue fighting the pandemic with measures besides vaccination, such as social distancing and masking, the authors said. The shots appear to generate protection against omicron with other parts of the immune system in addition to antibodies, such as T-cells, and so far hospital and mortality data have been less severe than with the delta variant that dominated earlier. Booster Programs The rapid global spread of omicron, first identified in Botswana and South Africa in late November, has spurred the U.K., the U.S., South Africa and other countries to step up or introduce booster programs. However, the latest research shows the limits of such plans.Read more at: https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/mrna-boosters-don-t-block-omicron-south-african-study-showsCopyright ? BloombergQuint
