Sinovac Covid vaccine does not provide sufficient antibodies to battle Omicron, reveals Hong Kong study

A new study by Hong Kong researchers has revealed that the Covid vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech does not provide the required antibodies to neutralise the newly discovered Omicron variant. This comes in as millions of people are relying on the Sinovac vaccine to offer protection against the variant. 

Led by microbiologist Yuen Kwok Yung, a professor in infectious diseases at the University of Hong Kong, the study involved a total of 50 people. They were divided into two groups of 25 people each. The first group was fully vaccinated with the Sinovac shot and the second group was fully vaccinated with the mRNA shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

In the first group, nobody displayed the required antibodies to neutralise Omicron. However, in the second group, five people showed neutralising ability against the new variant.

Also read | Israeli study finds Pfizer booster to be effective against Omicron variant

According to The Straits Times, the study has been accepted for publication in the medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. It is available online as a pre-print.

Meanwhile, a latest Israeli study had revealed that a three-shot course of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine offers protection against the new variant.

The study was carried out by the Sheba Medical Center and the Health Ministry’s Central Virology Laboratory. 

As a part of the study, a comparison was made between the blood of 20 people who had received two vaccine doses 5-6 months before the same number of people who had received a booster just a month before. 

(With input from agencies)