Moderna Vaccine Booster Creates 'Super Immunity' Against Omicron Variant

Officer shows a bottle of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine during an independent vaccination event (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The doctor at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Dr. Amesh Adalja said Omicron is unavoidable and the best way to deal with it is with full vaccination.

A study by Oregon researchers showed people who were fully vaccinated had "super immunity." However, researchers warn that even after being vaccinated, people should not intentionally "look for" COVID-19 infection.

As quoted from USA Today by Antara, Tuesday, December 21, data for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine shows that an additional dose as a booster will be effective against Omicron.

Moderna said laboratory blood studies showed that 20 people who received 50 micrograms of the Moderna booster had 37 times the amount of neutralizing antibody compared to the blood of people who received only two injections.

Moderna has reduced the booster dose to half the dose of the two injections to limit side effects such as fever, muscle aches, and fatigue.

A group that received the third injection of a dose of 100 micrograms experienced an 83-fold jump in neutralizing antibodies to Omicron.

Founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, Dr. Eric Topol, said an increase of that magnitude was not necessary to provide protection.

Previously, a study released in early December by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech showed that a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine increased neutralizing antibodies against Omicron more than 25-fold, which should be protective, although further studies are needed.

The Houston Methodist hospital reported that the Omicron variant accounts for 82 percent of new symptomatic cases.

The medical director of diagnostic microbiology at The Houston Methodist, Dr. S. Wesley Long said the Omicron variant was the cause of the super-majority of new cases at the hospital where he worked in less than three weeks.

In comparison, the Delta variant takes three months during the summer before it causes more than 80 percent of cases. Scientists in Africa first warned about Omicron less than a month ago and on November 26, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated it a variant of concern. Since then, the mutation of the virus has appeared in about 90 countries.

Much about the omicron variant is still unknown, including whether or not it causes more severe disease. Early studies suggest that those who have been vaccinated will need a booster shot to prevent Omicron infection.

Even without additional doses, vaccination still offers strong protection against serious illness and death.