Why An Omicron-Specific Vaccine Is Worth Testing
A jab targeting a specific variant may help against high rates of reinfection, but it needs to work better than existing vaccines.
More jabs?
Photographer: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFPThe omicron variant may be infecting people who’ve already had Covid, as well as those who have been fully vaccinated, at a far higher rate than previously thought. But does that mean an omicron-specific vaccine is warranted? After all, the strain has been shown to be much milder and such a targeted vaccine might not work against some new post-omicron variant.
Who to vaccinate further and with what kind of jab are two major decisions facing public health authorities this year. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Therese Raphael and Bloomberg Intelligence senior pharmaceutical analyst Sam Fazeli discuss why an omicron vaccine might be desirable, provided certain conditions are met.