Study shows new Covid Booster improves protection for older people, says Pfizer

Federal officials hope the encouraging results will prompt more Americans to get an updated reminder ahead of a feared spike in coronavirus cases this winter.< /p>< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">WASHINGTON – A new study from Pfizer and BioNTech suggests that their updated coronavirus booster released in September is nearly four times more effective than its predecessor in boosting antibodies against the currently dominant version of the virus for humans over 55.

Federal officials hope the encouraging results will bolster what has so far been a dismal public response reorganized shots. Only about 8% of Americans ages 5 and older have received the new boosters from Pfizer and Moderna, which are recommended for people in this age group who have had a first round of vaccination.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced the results of the study in a press release. The companies said that a month after receiving the new booster, clinical trial participants over the age of 55 had antibody levels 3.8 times higher than those who received the original booster. The number of study participants was small, with 36 people receiving the new booster and 40 receiving the old one.

The control group included only older adults , and results so far are limited to one month post-firing. Results from a similar clinical trial by Moderna are expected soon.

Biden administration officials called the results good news in the battle against Covid-19 , but whether many Americans will care much remains to be seen. As the pandemic nears the three-year mark, the public seems deeply weary of Covid vaccinations. In a September Kaiser Family Foundation poll, one in five adults said they hadn't even heard of the new boosters.

"People just went offline," said Michael Fraser, chief executive of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. "Which is totally unfortunate and not where you want to be."

Administration officials said the study results offer a new reason for Americans to seek out the gunfire update ahead of what experts fear could be a winter surge of the virus that results in tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths.

"You can see the train rolling down the tracks," said Dr. Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administration's lead vaccine regulator. "Now is the time to get off the tracks, not when you can smell the oil from the train engine." about six months earlier, while those who received the updated vaccine received their last booster 11 months earlier. Both groups had similar antibody levels before receiving the new booster.

The updated vaccine targets the version of the virus now looming the most in the states States, a sub-variant of Omicron known as BA.5. But by next month, a new subvariant of Omicron should become dominant.

Administration officials say these subvariants are structurally sufficient similar for updated plans to continue to provide powerful protection. Dr. Marks said he expected some decrease in the boosters' ability to neutralize the virus, but their overall benefits would hold.

While urging Americans to get the updated vaccines, Biden administration officials are not touting them as a definitive response to the pandemic. For two years, the administration has engaged in a continual game of catching up. By the time scientists revised the vaccine to protect against the new incarnation of the virus, it had already shifted to another form.

This reality, according to some experts, could be part of the reason Americans are showing diminished enthusiasm for every additional hit. So far, the administration has not persuaded Congress to allocate more money to develop the next generation of vaccines that could end the cycle of delay.

Asked if trial results would help pique interest in th...