Highest UK COVID-19 deaths since February as Pfizer begin trials for Omicron jab
pharmafile | January 26, 2022 | News story | Research and Development |
Pfizer has begun clinical trials for its new COVID-19 vaccine tailored to the Omicron variant, and has shared that it expects the jab to be available as early as March, provided it passes regulations. The news comes just as the UK reports 439 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in 24 hours. This is the highest total the country has seen in almost a year.
Within 24 hours on 25 January 2022, 94,326 people were reported as testing positive for COVID-19, and over 400 people died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test. The UK government has released this data on its website.
The figure of new daily positive tests for COVID-19 is up from 88,447 on 24 January. The daily deaths were higher by 56.
Meanwhile, Pfizer BioNTech have begun clinical trials for an Omicron specialised COVID-19 vaccine, announcing that it is recruiting 1,420 participants aged 18-55 years old, for a trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the new vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they plan to test the immune response generated by the Omicron-based vaccine, both as a three-shot regimen in unvaccinated people, and as a booster shot for people who have already received two doses of their original vaccine. The companies are also testing a fourth dose of the current vaccine against a fourth dose of the Omicron-based vaccine, in people who received a third dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine three to six months earlier.
The trial is taking place across the US and South Africa. The first participant was dosed in North Carolina.
“While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization with Omicron, we recognize the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address Omicron and new variants in the future,” commented Kathrin Jansen, head of Vaccine Research and Development at Pfizer, said in a statement.
Ana Ovey
