Omicron Variant Marks A New Cycle In Vaccine Manufacturing
To ensure vaccines intended to prevent COVID-19 work, manufacturers should update the compositions of the current vaccine, according to a 16-member technical advisory group for the World Health Organization.
The recommendation comes as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 sweeps through communities around the world. In a statement issued yesterday, the technical advisory group encouraged vaccine developers to study immune responses for their vaccines against the new variants of concern. To date, there are five known variants of concern: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron.
“While the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly across the world, the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is expected to continue and Omicron is unlikely to be the last VOC,” the January 11 statement read.
The panel said the current composition of vaccines “may need to be updated” to meet WHO’s criteria to provide protection against infection. Specifically, the advisory panel recommended new vaccines that are:
(1) based on strains of the variants;
(2) offer higher effective rates; and
(3) eliciting “broad, strong, and long-lasting” immune responses.
“In the interim, the [advisory group] encourages COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to generate and provide data on performance of current and Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccines, including the breadth, magnitude, and durability of humoral and cell mediated immune responses to variants through monovalent and/or multivalent vaccines,” the statement read.
To date, distributors have administered over 9 billion vaccine doses worldwide.
The Omicron variant marks a new cycle in that distribution. In short, here we go again.
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