BARRIE -- As researchers continue to study the new COVID-19 variant Omicron stoking fears around the globe, vaccine manufacturers are issuing guidance on their shots鈥 effectiveness.
Here鈥檚 a look at what vaccine manufacturers have said so far.
MODERNA
The CEO of Moderna says the company鈥檚 COVID-19 Spikevax vaccine is unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant as it has been against others.
Speaking to the , Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said he thinks there will be a 鈥渕aterial drop.鈥
鈥淚 just don鈥檛 know how much because we need to wait for the data,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut all the scientists I鈥檝e talked to鈥 are like 鈥榯his is not going to be good.鈥
Bancel said the current vaccines will likely need to be modified, due to the high number of mutations to the spike protein in the Omicron variant.
What鈥檚 more, on Monday, Bancel that it could be 鈥渕onths鈥 before the company develops and ships a vaccine that specifically targets the Omicron variant.
He told the outlet it will take at least two weeks to determine how much the Omicron mutations have impacted the vaccine鈥檚 efficacy.
PFIZER-BIONTECH
Meanwhile, BioNTech鈥檚 chief executive told Reuters the company鈥檚 COVID-19 vaccine manufactured with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, will likely offer strong protection against the Omicron variant.
Ugur Sahin told the outlet that 鈥渋t鈥檚 likely that people will have substantial protection against severe disease caused by Omicron.鈥
He said, in the next two weeks, lab tests will analyze the blood of people who have received two or three doses of the Comirnaty vaccine to determine if new vaccines are required.
He said BioNTech is working to upgrade the vaccine, but added that they are not sure it will be necessary.
Sahin said he doesn鈥檛 think there is a reason to be 鈥減articularly worried.鈥
鈥淭he only thing that worries me at the moment is the fact that there are people that have not been vaccinated at all,鈥 he told Reuters.
OXFORD-ASTRAZENECA
In a statement on Tuesday, the University of Oxford, which developed the Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine alongside AstraZeneca, said there was no evidence that the shot would not prevent severe disease from the Omicron variant.
The University said it has the 鈥渘ecessary tools and processes in place鈥 for 鈥渞apid development of an updated COVID-19 vaccine鈥 if necessary.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
In a issued on Monday, Johnson & Johnson said it has been 鈥渃losely monitoring newly emerging COVID-19 variants鈥 and has been 鈥渆valuating the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine across variants鈥 including Omicron.
鈥淭he company is testing blood serum from participants in completed and ongoing booster studies to look for neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant,鈥 the release reads.
Johnson & Johnson said the company is also 鈥減ursuing鈥 an Omicron-specific vaccine and will 鈥減rogress it as needed.鈥
AN 鈥楿NUSUAL鈥 VARIANT
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Canada鈥檚 Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, said the Omicron variant is 鈥渦nusual鈥 because it has a high number of mutations in two key areas of the virus鈥檚 spike protein.
鈥淥ne area of mutations is in the spike receptor binding domain,鈥 she said. 鈥淲here the virus attaches itself and invades our cells.鈥
She said this could signify a 鈥減otential for increased transmissibility of the virus.鈥
The other area of mutation is in the antigenic supersite, Tam said, 鈥渂ecause it is a target for our body鈥檚 defensive or neutralizing antibodies.鈥
鈥淒ue to the potential for increased transmissibility and the possibility of increased resistance to vaccine induced protection, we鈥檙e concerned about this new variant and are closely monitoring the evolving situation,鈥 she told reporters.
The variant was first reported in South Africa. On Friday, Canada implemented a travel ban, barring foreign travellers from seven countries in southern Africa in a bid to stave off cases of Omicron.
Two days later, on Sunday, the first cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Ontario.
With files from Reuters
