Two-dose vaccines cause lower antibodies to Omicron, research found Reuters

(Reuters) – Two-dose vaccine regimens of COVID-19 do not cause enough neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron coronavirus variant, according to British scientists who have found that it could increase infections in those previously infected or vaccinated.

Researchers at Oxford University on Monday released the results of a peer-reviewed study where peers were given doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford or Pfizer-BioNTech in a large-scale study of vaccine mixtures that examined participants’ blood samples.

The results have been warned by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that two shots will not be enough to hold Omicron, and a day later, the UK health agency last week discovered that it had significantly restored protection against the boosters variant.

An Oxford study said there was still no evidence that lower antibody levels against Omicron infections could lead to a higher risk of serious illness, hospitalization or death in those with two doses of approved vaccines.

“These data are important, but they’re only part of the picture. They only look at neutralizing antibodies after the second dose, but they don’t tell us about cellular immunity, and that will be tested,” said Matthew Snape, an Oxford professor and assistant. – author of the paper.