How well can the COVID vaccine tolerate the Omicron mutant? : NPR

Rachel Martin, Host:

We will learn more this morning about Omicron, a new variant of the coronavirus that is rapidly spreading in Europe and North America. There are numerous mutations and it seems to be more contagious than the delta type. South African scientists are now publishing the first data to find out how well the vaccine works against this variant. NPR Global Health Correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff to tell us what they found here. Hey, Mika Erine.

Byline Duckleph, Byline: Hello Rachel.

Martin: What do you need to know?

Daklev: So the findings come from South Africa’s largest private health insurance company, Discovery Health, and the South African Medical Research Council. And in this study, scientists analyzed data from about 78,000 people who are likely to be infected with Omicron. Almost half of those people were vaccinated twice with the Pfizer vaccine. In this population, the effectiveness of the vaccine against infection was reduced to about 30% at Omicron, compared to about 80% against previous mutants.

Martin: Mika Erine, 30 percent doesn’t sound very good. That’s pretty low, isn’t it?

Daklev: That’s pretty low. Therefore, by comparison, here in the United States, the efficacy of the mRNA vaccine was about 60-70% during the delta surge. Therefore, at 30%, they will be many, many breakthrough infections. The emphasis here is to protect against infection.

Martin: So what about serious illnesses? To what extent does the vaccine prevent it?

Daklev: Yeah. So here’s some really good news. In this study, the defense against severe illness was slightly reduced, but not so much. Therefore, researchers have found that two shots of the Pfizer vaccine provide about 70% protection against severe illness in this population. So, although this is a drop from 90%, it shows that the vaccine is still working very well to keep people away from the hospital. This protection also seems to be tolerable to the elderly as well as those with some risk factors such as diabetes.

Martin: I see. That’s good news. But you said in this population-is there any reason to believe that the effectiveness of the vaccine is different here in the United States than in South Africa?

Daklev: Yeah. Therefore, great care should be taken with this new data. In South Africa, many people are exposed to the virus. Some studies estimate that nearly 90% of people are infected during the pandemic process. And since this is about a previous infection, the study didn’t take this into account-scientists know that getting a COVID is about the same as getting an additional dose of the vaccine. .. Infections, like shots, can really help the immune system learn to fight the virus. And some studies have shown that if you get infected and then vaccinated, you will be much better protected than someone who has only been vaccinated twice.

Martin: So, did you say that the vaccine against Omicron may be less effective in the United States than in South Africa?

Daklev: Yeah. Unfortunately, that’s right. For people who have only received two shots and have never been infected before, the vaccine may not work well, especially when fighting the infection.It can actually be less than 30% here in the United States

Martin: So what about boosters? Is there any evidence that they can help here?

Daklev: Yes, this new study doesn’t look at the effects of third shots. South Africa does not yet have the opportunity to deploy boosters. However, another study from the lab suggested that boosters could help restore some of the vaccine’s efficacy in at least a few months or so. Therefore, getting a third shot is the best chance to avoid Omicron and Delta and prevent severe illness.

Martin: I have a booster appointment today. Yes…

Daklev: That’s great news, Rachel.

Martin: Maikeleen D’Clef, thank you for reporting this. appreciate.

Daklev: Thank you.

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