Omicron Variant Found in Two People With Booster Shots In Singapore

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE earlier this week said initial lab studies show a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine may be needed to neutralize the omicron variant.

Two Singapore residents may have caught the omicron variant even after receiving Covid-19 booster shots, in cases which may shed light on the protection offered by a third dose of vaccine.

A 24-year-old female airport passenger-service worker has returned a preliminary positive test to omicron, in what would be the city-state's first local case of the variant, the health ministry said in a statement late Thursday. The second person is considered an imported case after returning from Germany via the vaccinated travel lane on December 6. Both had received a third dose of vaccines, the ministry said.

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE earlier this week said initial lab studies show a third dose of their Covid-19 vaccine may be needed to neutralize the omicron variant. Company researchers observed a 25-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies that fight the variant, compared with the original strain of the virus, in people who got just two shots. However, boosting with an additional shot of the vaccine restored protection to a level similar to the initial two-dose regimen.

"Given its high transmissibility and spread to many parts of the world, we should expect to find more omicron cases at our borders and also within our community," Singapore's health ministry said.