The variant of Covid-19 discovered in South Africa is awakening old ghosts. The possibility of a massive and rapid contagion has set off the alarms of the health systems. For this reason, Pfizer has said it would have an updated version of its vaccine ready in as little as 100 days if Omicron were resistant to the current version.
Despite the fact that only a few days ago the authorities discovered this variant in South Africa, several cases have already been detected in other countries, such as Israel, the United Kingdom or Belgium.
This situation has forced governments to impose a series of movement restrictions between territories in Europe, Asia and North America, as Insider has already reported.
WHO has labeled Omicron as a ‘variant of concern’
If the Delta variant hit much of the planet this summer, now is the time for Omicron, a variant that could be more resistant to the antibodies generated by current vaccines.
The variant itself has multiple mutations that can cause the virus to spread easily, even among vaccinated people. This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled Omicron a ‘variant of concern’, a distinction given to the most threatening variants of Covid-19.
The health authorities still do not know if the current vaccines can protect the population from the variant, so companies like Pfizer are attentive to the development of the virus.
Pfizer took measures to be able to adapt its vaccine to any variant in a short time
As the company reported in a statement, Pfizer took steps months ago to be able to quickly adapt its vaccine to the requirements of the virus.
“Pfizer and BioNTech took steps months ago to be able to tailor the mRNA vaccine in six weeks and ship initial batches in 100 days in case of an escape variant,” he said.
The pharmaceutical company has already communicated that it expects to know Omicron’s resistance to current vaccines within two weeks, so it could have a solution by February if so.
Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are also preparing a response
For its part, Moderna has also reported that it will test a variant of its current vaccine as a booster. “From the beginning, we have said that as we seek to defeat the pandemic, it is imperative that we remain proactive as the virus evolves. Mutations in the Omicron variant are concerning, and for several days we have moved as quickly as possible to execute our strategy. to address this variant,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of the pharmaceutical company.
Similarly, Johnson & Johnson has released a statement to inform that it also intends to test the effectiveness of its vaccine in the coming days.
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