Oxford University: Vaccines induce lower levels of neutralising antibodies against Omicron

Oxford University said on Monday that vaccines are shown to induce lower levels of neutralising antibodies against the Omicron coronavirus variant, as reported by Reuters.

Key takeaways

"Increasing vaccine uptake among unvaccinated, encouraging third doses, priority to reduce transmission levels, the potential for severe disease."

"Researchers used samples from study participants who got 2 doses of standard COVID-19 shots for neutralisation assays using Omicron virus isolate."

"Blood samples from individuals who had previously received two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines were used."

"Pre-print results indicate omicron has the potential to drive a further wave of infections, including among those already vaccinated."

Market reaction

These remarks don't seem to be having a significant impact on market sentiment. As of writing, the UK's FTSE 100 Index was up 0.15% on a daily basis.