AstraZeneca's booster shot after two doses of its vaccine offer protection against Omicron

The two doses and a booster shot of AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine are effective against the Omicron variant, announced the drugmaker on Thursday citing data from an Oxford University lab study. In an official release, AstraZeneca said that the study which is yet to be peer-reviewed revealed that antibody levels against Omicron after the booster shot were higher than antibodies in people who were infected with COVID-19 and then recovered naturally. 

The company said that after a three-dose course of its COVID-19 vaccine, the neutralising levels against Omicron were similar to those against the Coronavirus’ Delta variant after two doses. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said researchers at Oxford University who did the research, were independent of those who worked on the vaccine with AstraZeneca. The vaccine against COVID-19 produced jointly by AstraZeneca and Oxford is called ‘Vaxzevria.’

AstraZeneca, Oxford Announce Work On New Version Of COVID-19 Vaccine 

The Thursday statement came after it was learnt that AstraZeneca and Oxford University have started work to produce a vaccine against the new variant. Joining the ranks of several other drugmakers and experts who are trying to study the potential of adapting formulations of their already existing shots, Andy Douglas, a research group leader at Oxford, told the Financial Times that similar to other variants of concern of Coronavirus, Oxford has started taking “preliminary steps in producing updated vaccine in case it is needed” with partners such as AstraZeneca. 

Douglas said Adenovirus-based vaccine such as the one jointly produced by Oxford and AstraZeneca “could in principle be used to respond to any new variant more rapidly than some may previously have realised,” reported FT. The Oxford researcher further added that such vaccines have “really important advantages, especially where need and logistical challenges are greatest.”

As per the report, additionally, AstraZeneca said that in partnership with the UK-based university, the US drugmaker has “taken preliminary steps in producing an Omicron variant vaccine, in case it is needed and will be informed by emerging data.” Oxford and AstraZeneca announced the work for a vaccine against the Omicron variant after a study was published in The Lancet on Monday stating that protection offered by two jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine started to wane just three months after full vaccination including against severe COVID-19. 

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