Pfizer Says Third COVID Shot Protects against Omicron

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech said early lab tests show the booster increased levels of virus-fighting antibodies by “25-fold.”

辉瑞及其德国合作伙伴BioNTech表示，早期实验室测试显示，加强针使对抗病毒的抗体水平提高了“25倍”。

The Pfizer research is early and has not been independently examined.

辉瑞的研究尚处于早期阶段，也未经过独立审查。

But, Bourla said, “it's clear from these preliminary data that protection is improved with a third dose of our vaccine.”

但伯拉表示：“从这些初步数据可以清楚看出，接种第三剂我们的疫苗可以提高保护力。”

The company also said it has started to develop a COVID-19 vaccine against Omicron.

该公司还表示，已开始研发针对奥密克戎的新冠疫苗。

If needed, the new vaccine will be ready by March 2022.

如有需要，新疫苗将在2022年3月前准备就绪。

The findings are similar to a small study published by researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa on Tuesday.

这些发现与南非非洲卫生研究所的研究人员周二发表的一项小型研究结果相似。

However, Reuters reported that a study at the University Hospital of Frankfurt, Germany, found reduced antibody levels against Omicron even after three shots.

然而，路透社报道称，德国法兰克福大学医院的一项研究发现，即使打了三针，针对奥密克戎的抗体水平也有所下降。

Independent experts have not reviewed the studies.

独立专家尚未审查这些研究。

Health officials still do not know how big of a threat Omicron really is.

卫生官员仍然不知道奥密克戎的威胁到底有多大。

The Delta variant is still responsible for most of the cases, especially in the United States.

德尔塔变异株仍是大多数病例的元凶，尤其是在美国。

The agency said Omicron “has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning.”

该机构表示，奥密克戎“有大量突变，其中一些令人担忧”。

A mutation is a change in the genetic material of a virus.

突变是指病毒遗传物质发生的变化。

The WHO added that early evidence suggests “an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs.”

世卫组织补充说，早期证据表明，“与其他需要关注的变异株相比，感染这种变异株后再次感染的风险增加”。

Several countries, including the United States, Brazil, Japan, and Israel, restricted travelers from some African countries.

包括美国、巴西、日本和以色列在内的几个国家限制了来自一些非洲国家的旅客入境。

But the variants have since been identified throughout Europe, North America and Australia.

但此后，这些变异株已在欧洲、北美和澳大利亚各地被发现。