Antibodies able to block the omicron coronavirus variant last four months after a third dose of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine, according to a study published Jan. 22 by bioRxiv.
The study, which has yet to be peer reviewed, found individuals still had "substantial neutralizing activity against omicron" at least up to four months after the third Pfizer shot, Pei-Yong Shi, PhD, study author and microbiologist at Galveston-based University of Texas Medical Branch, told The Washington Post.
Antibodies against omicron did drop during the four months after the third shot, but remained high enough that they should continue to provide some protection, Dr. Shi said.
Other studies recently published by the CDC found booster doses to be more protective against both delta and omicron variants when compared to just two doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.