Omicron significantly reduces Covid antibody protection in small

Omicron significantly reduces Covid antibody protection in small study of Pfizer vaccine recipients

• The Covid omicron variant significantly reduces antibodies generated by Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine, according to a small preliminary study released Tuesday.
• However, people who have recovered from the virus and received a booster shot will likely have more protection from severe disease, the South African researchers said.
• They found a 41-fold drop in the ability of the antibodies to neutralize the omicron variant compared with the original virus.
• The preprint study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, tested 14 plasma samples from 12 vaccinated people, 6 of whom were previously infected.