A new British study confirmed that two doses of vaccination are not sufficient to confront the mutated omicron of the emerging corona virus, while the World Health Organization confirmed the danger of this mutant at the global level, although data on its severity are limited.
British scientists have found that a two-dose vaccination regimen to prevent Covid-19 does not lead to the production of sufficient antibodies to fight the mutated or micron virus from the Corona virus, which is likely to increase infections among those who have previously contracted the disease or were vaccinated with vaccines. Today (Monday, December 13, 2021) researchers from Oxford University published the results of a study that has not yet received a review by corresponding scientists in which they analyzed blood samples from participants in a large study to examine the possibility of mixing between vaccines who had previously received doses of the two AstraZeneca vaccines – Oxford and Fierce/Piontech.
The results of the study come a day after the warning issued by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he said that two doses of the vaccine would not be enough to curb the mutant Omicron they study said that there is no evidence so far that a low level of infection fighting antibodies may lead to an increased risk of severe symptoms, hospitalization or death for those who received two doses of approved vaccines. “This data is important, but it is only part of the picture,” said Matthew Snape, a professor at Oxford University who was involved in the study.
WHO: A major global threat
In a related context, the World Health Organization said that the Omicron mutant, which has been monitored in more than 60 countries, poses a “significant global risk” with some evidence that it is resistant to vaccines, but clinical data on its severity is still limited. The organization said in a technical briefing issued yesterday, Sunday, that a great state of uncertainty surrounds Omicron, which was first detected last month in South Africa and Hong Kong, and whose mutation may lead to a faster spread of infection and a greater number of Covid-19 infections.
“The overall risk associated with the new mutant, Omicron, remains very high for several reasons” in a repeat of its first assessment, she added, “Secondly, preliminary evidence indicates that it evades immune responses and leads to high prevalence rates, which may cause another rise in cases with severe consequences.” Pointing to the virus’s potential ability to counteract the immunity provided by antibodies.
The organization pointed to preliminary evidence of an increase in the number of people who were infected with the virus repeatedly in South Africa. And she added that while preliminary data from South Africa show that Omicron cases are less severe than those of the Delta strain, the infections in the world are currently dominant and all cases recorded in the Europe region were mild or asymptomatic, and it is still not clear to what extent this can be done. Omicron to be less virulent.
“More data is needed to understand its severity,” the organization said. “Even if it is less than delta, hospitalizations are still expected to rise due to the increase in cases. The increased rate of hospitalizations burdens health systems and increases mortality.” She added that more information is expected in the coming weeks
