Possible argument in favour of having an omicron-tailored booster in a couple of months’ time: given COVID is now mostly omicron, the next variant might be more likely to be descended from omicron. An omicron booster might be more protective against that next variant too, then.
More generally, it seems pretty clear that immunity fades over time. Therefore, having boosters or top-ups seems like a helpful thing. If they’re going to be helpful anyway, why not have a version that’s more specific to the variant that’s most prevalent?
That’s not too far from the situation with flu vaccines. They are updated every year, and my understanding is that they are designed to be protective against the strains that are most likely to be prevalent in the coming flu season.
I am not sure why we cannot have a vaccine against both strains. The HPV vaccine protects against 9 HPV subtypes, for example. Either I am missing something or it’s just the medical establishment moving slowly, as always.
Possible argument in favour of having an omicron-tailored booster in a couple of months’ time: given COVID is now mostly omicron, the next variant might be more likely to be descended from omicron. An omicron booster might be more protective against that next variant too, then.
More generally, it seems pretty clear that immunity fades over time. Therefore, having boosters or top-ups seems like a helpful thing. If they’re going to be helpful anyway, why not have a version that’s more specific to the variant that’s most prevalent?
That’s not too far from the situation with flu vaccines. They are updated every year, and my understanding is that they are designed to be protective against the strains that are most likely to be prevalent in the coming flu season.
I am not sure why we cannot have a vaccine against both strains. The HPV vaccine protects against 9 HPV subtypes, for example. Either I am missing something or it’s just the medical establishment moving slowly, as always.