Economy 20 January 2022, 5:35pm

Russia's Sputnik V loses less protection against Omicron than Pfizer's COVID-19 shot

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Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine shows strong protection against the Omicron variant (B.1.1.259), with more than twice the virus neutralizing activity of Pfizer's Comirnaty vaccine, according to the results of a comparative study by the Lazzaro Spallanzani Institute in Rome and the vaccine manufacturer Gamaleya Center, published in the journal medRxiv.

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According to the paper authored by a team of 12 Italian and 9 Russian scientists, Sputnik V shows an 8.1-fold reduction in viral neutralising activity against Omicron compared to the reference variant in Wuhan, compared to a 21.4-fold reduction in the Pfizer vaccine. Consequently, the study concluded that Sputnik V induces a significant antibody response against the Omicron variant.

"Analysis showed that 74.2% of Sputnik V- and 56.9% of Comirnaty-vaccinated sera had detectable NtAb to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant," the study found.

Previous studies have shown a significant increase in protection against Omicron after a booster dose of Sputnik Light. The vaccine can also be used in combination with other vaccines as a third vaccine.

The decrease in NtAb to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant compared to Wuhan variant has been shown for many COVID-19 vaccines in use, with some showing no neutralization at all. Today the necessity of third booster vaccination is obvious. And the most effective approach, already shown in several studies, is the use of heterologous booster vaccination pioneered in COVID-19 vaccines by Sputnik V.