FACT FINDERS: Is Pfizer’s COVID-19 booster enough to fight omicron?

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - As 16 and 17-year-olds become eligible to get the Pfizer booster, some are wondering if it will be enough against the omicron variant.

Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya with the University of Arizona said the early data suggests after two shots, antibodies are not blocking omicron very well but after three shots, they are blocking better.

However, is it enough?

Bhattacharya said it may be because it is a lot easier for the immune system to protect you from getting really sick than it is to stop you from getting sick at all.

”The problem with COVID is really when it gets in your lungs,” he said. “That’s when you can run into some trouble and the immune system has a little bit of an easier time in protecting your lungs than it does in your nose and your throat, which is where the virus first enters. Our best guess is that the third dose of Pfizer will help across all of those measures.”

So basically, the initial data shows the third dose of Pfizer will probably help a little bit less when it comes to getting infected in the first place, but it will probably do a pretty good job about keeping you out of the hospital.

Bhattacharya added that it works very well against delta and that variant is what is behind the current surge.

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