Is it too late for an omicron-specific vaccine?
Verywell Health, January 19, 2022
A COVID-19 vaccine that targets the omicron variant will be ready in March 2022. While it could be an important line of defense, some experts are unsure if the timing of distribution would match public needs. “Is this too late? When it’s established with the modified omicron vaccine, will the omicron [surge] be already over, peaked out? We don't know,” said Dr. Pei-Yong Shi, distinguished chair in innovations in molecular biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Although omicron case rates are falling in some regions, a variant-specific vaccine wouldn’t be out of the question. Pfizer is manufacturing the new vaccine at risk since it has yet to be approved or authorized by health authorities, but the process is necessary, Shi said. “For pandemic preparedness, these exercises are definitely needed,” he said.