Sinnovac Biotech, one of the most widely used vaccine in world don’t not provide sufficient antibodies to neutralize the omicron variant, said Hong Kong researchers in initial lab finding, as reported by Bloomberg.
The study included a group of 25 people who are fully vaccinated with Sinovac shot and none of the subjects of the study showed sufficient antibodies to neutralize Omicron, according to the researchers at the University of Hong Kong.
A control group of 25 people fully vaccinated with mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Five subjects in the control group showed neutralizing ability against the new variant, the scientist said. The results are in line with findings release by the Pfizer, which said a third booster shot would be required to protect against omicron.
However, there is much to be explored on the efficacy of the Sinovac to draw conclusion. In the case, that Sinovac falls short protecting against omicron could jeopardize vaccination efforts in many developing countries where mRNA vaccines are not widely available.