Ómicron is softer and better at evading Covid-19 vaccines

The omicron variant appears to cause less severe illness than previous versions of the coronavirus, and the Pfizer vaccine appears to offer less defense against infection, but it remains a good protection against hospitalization, according to an analysis of data from South Africa, where the new variant is driving a spike in infections. While the findings published Tuesday are preliminary and have not been peer-reviewed, the gold standard in scientific research aligns with other initial data on omicron’s behavior, including that it appears to be easier to transmit. A two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appeared to provide only 33% protection against infection during South Africa’s current omicron wave, but 70% protection against hospitalization, according to analysis by Discovery Health, South Africa’s largest private health insurer, and the South African Medical Research Council.  Pfizer announces that its Covid-19 pill reduces hospitalizations and deaths by nearly 90%The data was collected from November 15 to December 7, during which time scientists in South Africa and Botswana first detected omicron, and it may change as time goes on. Experts now say omicron accounts for more than 90% of all new infections in South Africa, according to Discovery Health CEO Dr. Ryan Noach.Researchers around the world are rushing to find out what omicron will mean for the coronavirus pandemic now in its second year. On Tuesday, it received more information from Pfizer, which announced that its experimental pill to treat COVID-19, aside from its vaccine, appears effective against the new variant. The company also said full results from its study of 2,250 people confirmed the first promising results of the anti-virus pill: The drug reduced combined hospitalizations and deaths by about 89% among high-risk adults when taken shortly after initial symptoms of the virus. Independent laboratory tests show that the drug retains its potency against the omicron variant. In the weeks since omicron was detected, South Africa has experienced a rapid spread of the virus, concentrated in its most populous province, Gauteng. The seven-day moving average of daily new cases in the country rose over the past two weeks from 8.07 new cases per 100,000 people on Nov. 29 to 34.37 new cases per 100,000 people on Dec. 13, according to Johns Hopkins University. The death rate has not increased during that same period.” The fourth wave driven by omicron has a significantly steeper trajectory of new infections compared to previous waves. National data show an exponential increase in both new infections and test positivity rates during the first three weeks of this wave, indicating a highly transmissible variant with a rapid spread of infection in the community,” Noach said. leading scientists to report that the risk of hospitalization for omicron is lower than the delta or previous variants. Hospital admissions for adults diagnosed with COVID-19 are 29% lower compared to the wave South Africa experienced in mid-2020, after adjusting vaccination status, according to the analysis. The result shows that people who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine had 33% protection against infection in the first weeks of the current wave driven by omicron in South Africa. That’s a significant drop from the 80% protection against infections that was provided during previous periods. The researchers say it’s encouraging that the study shows that people fully vaccinated with Pfizer have 70% protection against hospital admission during increased omicron. That’s still a drop from the 93% protection seen in South Africa’s delta-driven wave.The study shows significant protection against hospital admission even among older age groups, with 67% in people aged 60 to 69 and 60% in people aged 70 to 79. The analysis was based on examining more than 211,000 positive COVID-19 test results, 41% of which were for adults who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Approximately 78,000 of the positive results were attributed to omicron infections. South Africa’s analysis Backs up an earlier assessment by UK authorities Unido.La UK Health Security Agency said on Friday that new UK data confirms that omicron is more easily transmissible than other variants. Other studies suggest that the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are less effective at preventing symptomatic infections in people exposed to omicron, although preliminary data show that effectiveness appears to increase between 70% and 75% after a third booster dose. Read more: Variant of Covid-19, Omicron, at least 4 times faster than DeltaThe study also found that omicron presents an increased risk of reinfection for people who have previously had COVID-19, the risk of reinfection with omicron is significantly higher than that of previous variants. Requirements to receive booster covid vaccine

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