More data coming in about vaccine effectiveness against Omicron

CNN– Data is still coming in on vaccines versus the Omicron variant. For the two-dose Pfizer vaccine, a study from South Africa suggests it’s 33% effective at preventing Omicron, but Dr. Anthony Fauci says a booster offers up to 75% protection against symptomatic infection. That same study on Pfizer also showed vaccinated adults were less likely to be hospitalized.

With Moderna, a U.S. study that hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet suggests the two-dose vaccine’s ability to neutralize Omicron was between 49 and 84 times lower than when it faced an earlier variant, but a booster dose “may substantially reduce this risk.”

Another U.S. study, also not peer-reviewed yet, reported the Omicron variant is “markedly resistant” to all three of the country’s vaccines, including Johnson & Johnson’s.