‘Does this mean that every time you find a new variant, you have to prick it?’
A special Covid-19 vaccine against a coronavirus virus variant, Omicron is said to have gained approval for clinical trials in Hong Kong, China.
The statement was confirmed by vaccine maker Sinopharm's subsidiary, China National Biotec Group (CNBG) and vaccine company, Sinovac Biotech who said the new vaccine contained an inactive (dead) virus, similar to most other vaccines distributed worldwide.
According to CNBG, the latest vaccine will be tested as a booster dose (boosters) to adults who have received the 2nd or 3rd injection.
However, the Chinese company did not explicitly state which vaccine product would be used in the clinical trial or attach the number of subjects that would participate.
Meanwhile, Sinovac noted that the company will continue to work to study the existing CoronaVac vaccine in producing the best antibodies for the emergence of new variants.
Previously, a study in China found that the 4th dose of Sinopharm’s BBIBP vaccine did not help in enhancing Omicron-resistant antibodies when given 6 months after the 3rd booster dose to the usual 2-dose regimen.
Although the 4th dose was able to return antibody levels to around the peak after the 3rd dose, the researchers said the new vaccine would offer a better alternative as a booster in the future.
In general, scientists around the world are actively conducting studies and efforts to upgrade existing vaccines to combat emerging variants such as Omicron with data showing that vaccines based on older strains fail to neutralize highly contagious variants.
