Vaccines should work against Omicron variant, WHO says

GENEVA: DEC. 8 – Existing vaccines should still protect people who contract the Omicron variant from severe Covid cases, a World Health Organization (WHO) official says. It comes as the first lab tests of the new variant in South Africa suggest it can partially evade the Pfizer jab.

Researchers say there was a “very large drop” in how well the vaccine’s antibodies neutralized the new strain. But the WHO’s Dr. Mike Ryan said there was no sign Omicron would be better at evading vaccines than other variants.