Study shows Covid boosters are needed to fight Omicron

Studies show that Covid vaccines are fighting the Omicron variant – among those who have had their booster shot.

Three studies released yesterday, January 21, show that Covid vaccines are fighting the Omicron variant among those who have received their booster shot.
These are the first large studies in the US looking at how the vaccines protect against Omicron, according to health officials.
The studies echo previous research, including papers from the UK and Germany, indicating that vaccines are less effective against the Omicron variant than earlier versions of the virus and that boosters increase protection significantly.
The first study looked at admissions to hospital, urgent care and emergency room visits from August to this month in 10 US states.
It showed that the effect of the vaccine in preventing emergency department and urgent care visits was most effective after three doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Protection dropped from 94 per cent in the Delta wave to 82 per cent during the Omicron wave. Those who have had two doses have lower protection, especially if it has been six months since the second jab.
The second study looked at the Covid death rates in 25 states from the beginning of April until Christmas. Those who had received their booster shot had the highest protection against the virus, both during the Delta wave and the Omicron wave.
The two articles were published online by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a third study, led by CDC researchers. It investigated those who tested positive for Covid from December 10 to January 1 at more than 4,600 testing sites across the US.
According to the research, three doses provided about 67 per cent protection against symptoms related to Omicron compared with unvaccinated people and that two doses showed no significant protection against Omicron.
One of the study’s authors, CDC’s Emma Accorsi, said: “It really shows the importance of getting a booster dose.”

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