Pfizer Vaccine May Partially Protect Against Omicron: Study

Based on the manuscript, the laboratory observed a 14-fold decrease in the level of neutralizing antibody against the Omicron variant.

Sigal said on Twitter that the figure would likely be adjusted once his lab did more experiments.

While neutralizing antibodies are an indicator of the body's immune response, scientists believe other cell types, such as B cells and T cells, are also stimulated by the vaccine and help protect against the effects of Covid-19.

Preliminary data do not indicate that the vaccine is less able to prevent severe illness or death.

While laboratory tests are underway, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said last week that it was likely that people would have basic protection against severe disease caused by Omicron.

The Omicron variant, which was first detected in southern Africa last month, has already sounded the alarm globally for another spike in infections, with more than twenty countries from Japan to the United States reporting cases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) classified it on Nov. 26 as a "variant of concern", but said there was no evidence to support the need for a new vaccine specifically designed against the Omicron variant with its multiple mutations.

There is no significant data yet on how vaccines from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and other drug companies inhibit new variants.