December 15, 2021: Scientists have found that two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines are substantially less effective at warding off Omicron than previous variants of the coronavirus.
However, the researchers were optimistic that a booster dose would improve immunity against the new transmissible variant.
On Monday, a new study announced, researchers from the University of Oxford tested blood samples of people 28 days after their second dose of either vaccine.
When Omicron was showcasing to those samples, scientists reported: “a substantial fall” in the neutralizing antibodies that fight off Covid comparing to the immune responses seen against the variants.
On Monday, Gavin Screaton, head of Oxford University’s Medical Sciences Division and lead author of the paper, said that the findings should “press home the message that those who are offered booster vaccination should take it.”
“While there is no evidence for increased risk of severe disease, or death, from the virus amongst vaccinated populations, remaining cautious, as greater case numbers will still place a considerable burden on healthcare systems,” he warned.
“Vaccination inducing many arms of our immune system, which include neutralizing antibodies and T-cells,” added co-author Teresa Lambe, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford.
“Real-world effectiveness data has shown us that vaccines continue to protect against severe disease with last variants of concern. The only way to protect us going forward in this pandemic is by getting vaccines in arms.”
On Friday, a report published by the U.K.’s Health Security Agency estimated that two doses of a Covid vaccine were huge less effective at preventing symptomatic disease through infection from the omicron variant than the delta. However, the report noted that vaccines were thought to be 70 to 75% effective at preventing symptomatic infections after a booster dose.
“With previous variants, vaccine effectiveness against severe disease, including hospitalization and death, has been higher than effectiveness against mild disease,” the UKHSA said. “It will be a few weeks before effectiveness against severe disease with Omicron can be estimated; however, based on this experience, this is to be slightly higher than the estimates against symptomatic disease,” the UKHSA added.
In a televised statement on Sunday, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Britain faces a “tidal wave” of Omicron infections and announced that the country would be speeding up its booster program to offer all adults the third dose of a vaccine by the year-end. The government had previously aimed to extend its booster scheme to all over-18s by the end of January.
The findings from Israel came after researchers in South Africa found Omicron could evade the immunity from two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
The omicron variant, thought to be infectious than its predecessor delta, was first identified in South Africa and has since spread to nearly 38 countries worldwide and 25 U.S. states.
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.
AspenTech, a Massachusetts-based company, plays a pivotal role in the oil and gas industry by leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including AI (artificial intelligence). Let’s delve into how AspenTech contributes to this dynamic sector
It’s no secret that oil and gas is a boom-and-bust industry. Production is currently up, projected to increase to 13.7 million barrels daily in 2024. But this won’t last forever. Whether production is up or down, the key to maximizing production, optimizing efficiency, and taking advantage of increased profits is innovation, digital transformation,and automation.For stakeholders looking to deliver safer, more efficient, and cheaper energy, innovation and automation must be a top priority. Those who fall behind in the race to innovate, ultimately, run the risk of losing market share.
Talking to Thomas Hundertmark, a senior partner in McKinsey’s Houston office, Darren Woods is chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil made some crucial points and also gave some insights on what the conglomerate was doing in order to save the climate.
Today oil and gas producers face severe regulatory and public relations obstacles due to the concern with greenhouse gases and resource depletion. Calgary-based start-up, Advanced Upstream (“AU”), has been disrupting the oil and gas industry with simple and reliable innovative technologies. AU’s products help the oil and gas producers to enhance energy production while reducing the corresponding environmental impact. By decreasing personnel and time on site, and lowering overall HSE risks across the board, the clients can see a notable improvement in their ESG rating, contributing to their bottom line.
Jasmin Staiblin, Chief Executive Officer of ABB Switzerland, says, “Global energy consumption continues to grow and, if left unabated, will lead to an ever-greater risk of irreversibly changing our climate. To take advantage of more sustainable energy sources, the energy landscape is in a state of profound change to allow the integration of increasing amounts of renewable energy sources into the grid, to allow infrastructure to run more intelligently and efficiently, and to ensure the supply of energy is available at all times.
The activation of the Fallon Two Rock solar farm project has recently bolstered the Californian energy …