German health officials warned on Friday the coronavirus remained a serious threat as the Omicron variant is set to completely replace Delta in the coming days in a nation whose vaccination rates lag much of western Europe.
Omicron often leads to a milder course of disease, but any positive gains are cancelled out by there being far too many cases, senior virologist Christian Drosten said, underscoring the need for vaccinations. - Reuters.
Although current Covid vaccines provide a high level of protection against severe disease and death caused by variants of concern (VOC), health experts believe that new vaccines that can prevent infection and transmission are needed.
All major Covid-19 vaccines have been developed against the original strain of SARS CoV-2. While these have proved highly effective, they need to be reinvented to combat newer variants like Omicron which has the potential to escape vaccine immunity.
A booster dose, every six months may not be a sustainable idea, the experts contended. - IANS.