NEW YORK - Pfizer said Wednesday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine may protect against the new omicron variant even though the initial two doses appear significantly less effective.Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said lab tests showed a booster dose increased by 25-fold the level of so-called neutralizing antibodies against omicron.Pfizer announced the preliminary laboratory data in a press release, and it hasn’t yet undergone a scientific review.
The companies already are working to create an omicron-specific vaccine in case it’s needed.Scientists have speculated that the high jump in antibodies that comes with a third dose of COVID-19 vaccines might be enough to counter any decrease in effectiveness.Antibody levels predict how.