In a new research report German and South African researchers describe how seven travelers from Germany were infected with the omicron variant in South Africa – despite the fact that all were vaccinated with three doses.
– This research report is one of the first to describe breakthrough infection with the omicron variant in people who have been vaccinated three times against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, says assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad to Dagbladet and continues:
– Although the study is small and not yet peer-reviewed, it shows that the third dose of mRNA vaccine in this case was not enough to prevent covid-19 disease in seven of seven young people, despite recent vaccination and an average age of 28 years.
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Not sufficient
The omicron variant is probably significantly more contagious than the delta variant. Among other things, it has a significantly greater ability to circumvent immunity as a result of undergoing infection or vaccination.
This research report indicates that not even three doses are enough to prevent the omicron from spreading.
– The study shows that even three doses of mRNA vaccine are not enough to prevent symptomatic disease with the omicron variant. It is not suitable for describing how much the vaccine protects against serious illness, and especially not in older age groups. It is knowledge that we still need, says Nakstad.
Our report, the researchers write, shows that the refreshing doses fail to prevent symptomatic disease, and emphasizes the need for non-medical infection control measures. They also believe that their findings underline the need for adjusted vaccines, which to a greater extent prevent the spread of infection with omicron.
