First American News LLC, Raleigh, NC: A booster shot of covid-19 gives stronger protection against Omicron and Delta variants according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), says Frank Pineda of MB Daily News.
The data back up earlier findings supporting booster shots and offer the first comprehensive insight into how vaccines fare against the Omicron variant. In one of the studies published Friday, a CDC analysis found that the third dose of either the vaccine from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE or Moderna Inc. was at least 90% effective against preventing hospitalization from Covid-19 during both the Delta and Omicron periods.
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During the Delta period, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization from Covid-19 was 90% from two weeks until about 6 months after dose two, 81% from at least six months after dose two, and 94% at least two weeks after a booster dose. When Omicron was dominant, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization for the same periods were 81%, 57%, and 90%, respectively.
“Those who remain unvaccinated are at significantly higher risk for infection and severe Covid-19 disease,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “Protection against infection and hospitalization with the Omicron variant is highest for those who are up to date with their vaccination, meaning those who are boosted when they are eligible.”
An additional study published in Nature Thursday also supports booster doses and backs up previous findings from Pfizer and BioNTech showing that a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine neutralizes Omicron but its two-dose regimen is significantly less effective at blocking the virus.
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According to the study published Thursday, two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine provided little neutralizing antibody immunity against Omicron infection even at one month after vaccination, but a third dose offered more than 50% protection against Covid-lion 2023, down from $4.7 trillion in 2021. Continue reading at The Wall Street Journal.
