The Omicron variant wave: Where are we now and what are the prospects?

Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 101174817 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1728-7731 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17264901 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Chin Med Assoc Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2019- : [Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands] : Wolters Kluwer Health
Original Publication: Taipei, Taiwan : Chinese Medical Association, c2003-

2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273* ; COVID-19*/prevention & control; Humans ; Child ; BNT162 Vaccine ; SARS-CoV-2

The Omicron variant BA.2 is the dominant form of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in many countries, including those that have already implemented the strictest quarantine mandates that effectively contained the spread of the previous variants. Although many individuals were partially or fully vaccinated, confirmed Omicron infections have far surpassed all other variants combined in just a couple of months since the Omicron variant emerged. The ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca), BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines offer protection against the severe illness of SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, these currently available vaccines are less effective in terms of preventing Omicron infections. As a result, a booster dose of BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 is recommended for individuals >12 years old who had received their second dose of the approved vaccines for >5 months. Herein, we review the studies that assessed the clinical benefits of the booster dose of vaccines against Omicron infections. We also analyzed public data to address whether early booster vaccination effectively prevented the surge of the Omicron infections. Finally, we discuss the consideration of a fourth dose of vaccine as a way to prevent possible upcoming infections.
Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: Dr. Shou-Yen Kao, an editorial board member at Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, had no role in the peer review process of or decision to publish this article. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subject matter or materials discussed in this article.
(Copyright © 2022, the Chinese Medical Association.)

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EPK39PL4R4 (2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273)
0 (BNT162 Vaccine)

SARS-CoV-2 variants

Date Created: 20221216 Date Completed: 20230120 Latest Revision: 20230403

20240628

10.1097/JCMA.0000000000000863

36524941