Omicron variant, Fauci: “Third dose vaccine can last more than 6 months”

The third dose of the covid vaccine could offer a much longer lasting protection of 6 months in the context of the contagious Omicron variant. However, it cannot be ruled out that an annual booster of the vaccine is required. This is the scenario outlined by Professor Anthony Fauci, principal adviser to US President Joe Biden, on Sky Tg24. “It’s possible” a fourth dose might be needed “but I hope it doesn’t, that we get a level of duration of protection that goes beyond six months. Of course, it may be that the appropriate total regimen involves three doses of vaccine per mRna. . We need the third dose because it is an integral part of the regimen, so it’s possible that after the third dose we won’t need another dose for much longer than six months, “Fauci tells ‘e-VENTI’. “We hope we don’t have to vaccinate people all the time, but we have to leave open the possibility that they will be required to have a seasonal vaccine, we don’t know for sure now. We have to wait and see what will be required in the coming months,” adds the immunologist. Omicron variant: “We see in many countries around the world, but especially in South Africa, that omicron is spreading very rapidly, it is about to become the dominant variant. In the United States we see a rapid increase in omicron, especially in the New York City, where there is a doubling time of three days. We expect Omicron to become the dominant variant in the United States in the coming weeks. “” For sure – he notes – we know that omicron is more contagious, we are not entirely sure that is less serious. We know that in South Africa it seems that those infected are less likely to go to hospital and contract serious illness, but this is perhaps also due to the fact that many in South Africa have they have already contracted the Alpha or Beta variant and when they recovered they had a level of immunity that protects them, not necessarily from contagion, but perhaps from contracting the serious disease “, he continues. “This is an unanswered question yet, it is unknown whether the virus itself is inherently less virulent or whether people have a level of immunity that avoids gravity.”