Boosters Needed for Pfizer Takers Against Omicron, Says Govt. Advisor

All Hong Kongers should get a booster jab as university research showed that Omicron can significantly reduce the efficiency of the Pfizer vaccine by 32 times or more, as per government advisor David Hui Shu-cheong.

The study, conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong, showed that the Omicron variant can reduce the antibody count of a person with two Pfizer shots by 97%.

Despite the study’s findings, which have not been peer-reviewed yet, Hui said that both the Pfizer and Sinovac vaccines are still effective in preventing hospitalization and death after contracting the Omicron variant.

Omicron, which has spread to at least 57 countries, is more contagious than the Delta variant, but it does not lead to a high death rate, government health experts have said.

Hui told reporters in a press conference that a third booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine could boost the antibody level and protect people from Omicron.

"Pharmaceutical company Pfizer's statistics have shown that the antibody level after receiving the third shot is 25 times higher than after just two shots," Hui said.

"Other studies also showed that three doses of BioNTech vaccine have a 75 percent protective rate against Omicron."