Covid boosters work against omicron, without a variant-specific third dose

Covid boosters work against omicron, without a variant-specific third dose

December 17, 2021: -White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday that currently available booster shots work against the omicron variant of Covid-19 and do not need to be adjusted to fight the new, highly contagious strain of the virus at this time.

“Our booster vaccine regimens work against omicron,” Fauci told the public during a White House Covid update on Wednesday. “At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster.”

Fauci said the primary two-dose vaccination series from Pfizer and BioNTech is significantly compromised by omicron but still offers considerable protection against severe disease. Protection from the two-dose vaccine against infection dropped to 33% compared with 80% before the emergence of omicron. However, Fauci said that two doses are still 70% effective at preventing hospitalization in omicron patients in South Africa.

“This is significantly down, but there is the maintaining of a degree of protection against hospitalization,” Fauci said.

Fauci said a booster dose increases protection against symptomatic disease to 75%, citing data from the U.K. Health Security Agency.

The NFL and NBA lead new Covid outbreaks in sports, spurring fines, restrictions, and delays.

“And so the message remains clear. If you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated, and particularly in the arena of omicron if you are fully vaccinated, get your booster shot,” Fauci said.

The unvaccinated are eight times more likely to end up in the hospital and 14 times more likely to die than people who are fully vaccinated, said White House Covid response coordinator Jeff Zients, citing data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said 36 states had detected omicron so far, and the variant makes up about 3% of Covid cases nationwide. However, omicron infections are likely much higher in New York and New Jersey, she said, making up about 13% of cases.

“Early data suggest that omicron is more transmissible than delta with a doubling time of about two days,” Walensky said.

According to CDC data, sixty-one percent of Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid, and 27% of them have received a booster shot.

About 68,000 Americans are hospitalized with Covid-19, according to a seven-day average of Department of Health and Human Services data as of Tuesday, up 9% over the previous week and 21% over the last two weeks.

About Us

We provide the insights on leaders who are responsible for taking their organization to new heights, all the while bringing together a group of talented individuals.

Recent Posts

Trōv | Embedded Insurance Specialist | Scott Walchek

Trōv is a global leader in embedded insurance, powering the future of digital insurance distribution and emerging mobility. Its robust insurtech platform empowers financial institutions and insurance incumbents to easily embed insurance products within other digital experiences to increase recurring revenue.

One80 Intermediaries | Keeping American Families Safe | Martin Burlingame

While only one in ten homes throughout the United States has flood insurance coverage, floods are the country’s most common and deadli-est natural disaster. Since 2000, they have cost American taxpayers $850 billion, two-thirds of the total cost of all natural disasters, yet only 1 out of 10 homes are insured for flood, and that number could soon be reduced.

ePremium | Working with Gold Standards | Lori Murphy

Insurance needs to be more precise as there are solutions that protect the assets owned by the Property Managers (apartment units) and solutions that protect the Residents and their personal belongings. Which programs to offer and buy depends on each unique client’s needs.

Covid boosters work against omicron, without a variant-specific third dose