Covid, Omicron variant and fourth dose importance: Burioni clarifies

Fourth dose of the anti-covid vaccine updated to the Omicron variant: Professor Roberto Burioni clarifies. Guest of ‘Che tempo che fa’ on Rai3 explains how things are doing a kind of lesson. “Tonight we talk about the new vaccines, those updated to the Omicron variant. Since the fourth dose is very important, let’s clarify how things are”, he says underlining: “The old vaccine was designed in January 2020, based on the virus that it had been circulating in China for a few weeks. ” In Europe, explains the virologist, that variant never arrived, others arrived until “at the end of 2021 the virus underwent a drastic change that led to the appearance of the Omicron variant, fortunately less pathogenic but capable of infecting the vaccinated and very contagious “. With its different numbers, Omicron has become “the only form in which this virus exists. This is to make it clear that the virus against which the vaccine was developed in 2020 is a virus that no longer exists”. “With the Omicron variant the old vaccine has largely lost its effectiveness against infections while maintaining the ability to defend especially the weakest from serious disease and death”. “The vaccine, however, has shown a weak side: the protection it offers is not long-lasting. And boosters are needed. It was not possible to predict it,” said the expert. “Thanks to the vaccine, more than 20 million people are still alive,” he recalled. “However, given the need for a fourth dose”, the vaccine has been updated, “for this reason bivalent vaccines have been developed” which means that they actually contain two vaccines, “the old one from 2020 and the new one updated to Omicron variant “. “These vaccines are currently administered in Italy and work – said Burioni – antibodies in the blood, protective function against mild disease and protection against serious disease, both major ones, have been studied. How long the protection will last we do not know, but better take this in the meantime. ” “In conclusion, when you go for the fourth dose, do not worry,” he concluded.