WHO says updated COVID-19 vaccines for omicron may be required
World Health Organization said updated COVID-19 vaccines for the highly transmissible omicron variant may be beneficial as a booster dose
• Data indicates ‘modified COVID-19 vaccine composition may be warranted to broaden immune protection’
The World Health Organization said updated COVID-19 vaccines for the highly transmissible omicron variant may be beneficial as a booster dose.
In a statement released on Friday, the Geneva-based global health group said that “the potential benefit of omicron updated vaccines should be studied,” as data indicates a “modified COVID-19 vaccine composition may be warranted to broaden immune protection.”
However, WHO also said that the statement is not a policy recommendation.
“There has been continuous and substantial virus evolution since SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2019, and it is likely that this evolution will continue, resulting in the emergence of new variants, particularly those with changes in the spike protein,” the agency said.
“Given the uncertainties of further evolution, it may be prudent to pursue an additional objective of COVID-19 vaccination of achieving broader immunity against circulating and emerging variants while retaining protection against severe disease and death.”
Although public health officials have warned that new variants of the coronavirus could prove more deadly than previous strains, omicron has proved less fatal than previous strains, with fewer hospitalizations and deaths.
The WHO said its Technical Advisory Group on vaccine composition suggests “as a booster dose, an omicron-specific monovalent vaccine may elicit greater breadth in the immune response” than those based on the initial version of the virus.
Picture Credit: BBC
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