DW verifies: does the booster dose work against omicron? | Coronavirus

Claim: the booster dose does not work against omicron.

DW verifies: not verified.

In the social networks of anti-vaccine groups, the appearance of the omicron variant is considered as undeniable proof of the ineffectiveness of vaccines, including boosters. The fact is that, to date, there is a lack of reliable scientific information on the effect of vaccines against the new variant. Virologists, however, continue to view the booster dose as an extremely important tool to increase protection against omicron.

Germany’s new Health Minister Karl Lauterbach explained via Twitter: “The data on the danger posed by the omicron variant is becoming clearer. After all, what we know so far is that booster doses offer a good protection against serious illness and possibly infection as well. “

According to the pharmaceutical duo BioNTech / Pfizer, to obtain good protection against the new variant, three doses of its vaccine are required. The company assumes that Comirnaty, the name of its preparation, will continue to offer protection against a serious COVID-19.

Also the immunologist Reinhold Förster, vice president of the German Immunology Society, relies on reinforcements to face omicron. “We don’t know if the effectiveness of the booster dose will also decrease over time,” he tells DW. However, he considers that “one will be much better protected against an infection after the booster, better in any case than with just two doses, and one will be protected from developing a serious disease for a longer time.”

Claim: Boosters show vaccination is a failure.

DW verifies: false

One Twitter user claims that Israel is proof that booster doses are useless. In a post on December 6, he wrote: “Israel is already starting with the fourth dose of an mRNA vaccine in a year. Anyone who talks about ‘success’ in vaccination has either lost his mind or should turn to reliable and objective sources. “.

A study conducted by the journal New England Journal of Medicine It proves exactly the opposite, and since booster doses began in Israel, infection rates have dropped. 1.3 million people over the age of 60 who had already been vaccinated with two doses were screened. Some of them received a booster dose and, compared to those who did not receive it yet, the infection rate was reduced by a factor of 11.3.

“There is no doubt that the third dose saved Israel,” epidemiologist Gabriel Barbash of the Weizmann Institute for Science in Tel Aviv tells DW. The expert mentions an aspect of the fight against the pandemic that is only now becoming more noticeable: not only will it be necessary to deal with increasingly contagious variants, but also with the decrease in immunity.

Vaccination of children in Israel.

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The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) also addressed this issue. In its latest weekly report, it ensures that protection against symptomatic disease fell from 80 to 68 percent in people over 18 who were vaccinated with two doses between August 23 and December 5, 2021.

Claim: The booster dose leads to a continuous vaccination cycle.

DW verifies: false.

In a tweet on December 4, Alice Weidel, leader of the parliamentary group of the right-wing populist party AfD, warns: “The founder of BioNTech explained, rubbing his hands, that people who have already been vaccinated against omicron will need to be vaccinated again. time”. Therefore, it demands that “we put an end to this senseless vicious cycle.”

The truth is that there is no obligation to be vaccinated against the omicron variant or against any variant (since the vaccines are against the virus, not against specific variants). This is without prejudice to the fact that, as we have seen, the overwhelming majority of virologists recommend the booster dose. The study “Safety and immunogenicity of seven vaccines against COVID-19 as booster doses”, funded by the UK government, concluded that booster doses increase the immune response.

The study included 2,878 participants between the ages of 30 and 78, who were given a booster dose of one of seven possible vaccines to increase protection after two inoculations with AstraZeneca or BioNTech. The most relevant result: the immune response was greater in all cases, regardless of the age of the patient and the vaccine they received. Only the French Valneva’s vaccine did not meet the medical requirements.

In addition to booster doses, hopes are especially focused on new drugs to treat COVID-19 patients. The European agency EMA and the US FDA have already authorized some preparations, including the antibody therapy Ronapreve (from the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche and the US company Regeneron) and the South Korean Regkirona (from Celltrion). On December 8, meanwhile, an active ingredient from AstraZeneca was authorized in the United States for allergy sufferers who cannot be vaccinated.

For Förster, the drugs could “serve to prevent the multiplication of the virus and be a way out of the pandemic.” But one or two remedies are likely not enough. “More preparations that attack different points of the virus’ replication are probably needed,” he explained.

(dz/rr)

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

Sputnik V, Instituto Gamaleya

The “Russian vaccine” aroused initial mistrust, but it has established itself as an option for a score of countries, including Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela. The doubts arose due to its rapid approval, in August 2020, without having finished the tests. However, subsequent studies give a high efficacy to this preparation, which uses adenoviral vectors to elicit immunity.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

BNT162b2, BioNTech/Pfizer

The vaccine from the German firm BioNTech uses a previously unpublished technology: lipid-covered mRNA. Simply explained, the vaccine “mimics” the form of SARS-CoV-2, eliciting the body’s response. In trials it showed high efficacy, which has been replicated in real conditions. Pfizer is serving in the alliance as a manufacturing partner. It is used in about twenty countries.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

mRNA-1273, Modern

The vaccine developed by the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, the Advanced Biomedical Research and Development Authority (BARDA), and the Moderna firm uses technology similar to BioNTech’s. In trials it showed an efficacy close to 95 percent. Unlike BioNTech, this formula can be stored at -20 degrees. It is used in the US and the European Union.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

AZD1222, Oxford-AstraZeneca

This vaccine developed by British and Swedish experts uses a modified chimpanzee adenovirus as a vector. The trials took place in the UK, Brazil, South Africa, Japan and India, and were interrupted a couple of times by suspicious deaths. However, its safety and efficacy ranging from 60 to 90 percent have been confirmed. It is used in Brazil, the EU and the UK.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

Ad5-nCoV, Cansino Biologics

This Chinese firm’s vaccine uses the common cold adenovirus to introduce an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 protein into the human body, eliciting an immune response. It has been used in China to inoculate People’s Army soldiers, and trials were carried out in Russia, Pakistan, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. It is currently used in Mexico, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Use only one dose.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

CoronaVac, Sinovac Biotech

Like many vaccines that use inactivated viruses, this formula uses SARS-CoV-2 particles obtained in cultures and inactivated before being injected into the body. The presence of these viruses triggers the immune reaction and prevents the disease from developing. Tested in Brazil, Indonesia, Chile and Turkey, it shows an effectiveness of over 60 percent.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

BBV152, Bharat Biotech

Also virus-inactivated, this vaccine developed by Bharat and the Indian Council for Medical Research is known as Covaxin, and has shown 81 percent efficacy in clinical trials. At the time, it sparked controversy for having been inoculated in medical workers when the formula was still in phase I clinical trials. India is now seeking approval in other markets.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

BBIBP-CorV, Sinopharm

With trials in Argentina, Peru, the United Arab Emirates and other states, this Chinese inactivated virus vaccine has already been approved in countries in the Middle East. According to studies, it would be 86 percent effective. Sinopharm is in the eye of controversy in Peru for having sent “courtesy vaccines” for politicians and for having donated thousands of dollars to the government.

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The vaccines that promise to defeat the coronavirus

Ad26.COV2.S, Johnson & Johnson

Along with CanSino’s, it is the only single-dose vaccine to date. It is developed by the Belgian firm Janssen Pharmaceutica, a subsidiary of the American Johnson & Johnson. It can be stored in a normal refrigerator and has been shown to be more than 66 percent efficient. It uses a non-replicative viral vector derived from human adenovirus A26.

Author: Diego Zúñiga

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