Pfizer creating ‘Omicron’ Covid vaccine to be ready by March

The CEO of Pfizer has announced a vaccine for the highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 will be ready by March, with doses already in the works.

The CEO of Pfizer has announced a vaccine for the more transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 will be ready by March, with the pharmaceutical giant already manufacturing doses.

“This vaccine will be ready in March,” Albert Bourla told CNBC’s Squawk Box.

“We [are] already starting manufacturing some of these quantities at risk.”

Omicron, which first emerged in South Africa in November, quickly swept the world, overtaking Delta to become the most dominant strain and casting concern over the efficacy of existing vaccines.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines – both of which have been distributed in Australia – are only about 10 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic infection from Omicron 20 weeks after the second dose, a study from the UK Health Security Agency found.

While two doses still provide good protection against severe illness, the study found that booster shots increased protection against symptomatic infection to 75 per cent.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said a vaccine that targets the omicron variant of Covid will be ready in March, and the company’s already begun manufacturing the doses. Picture: Javier Torres/AFP

The vaccine will also target the other variants that are circulating, he said. Picture: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP

Dr Bourla told CNBC the new vaccine will also target other variants currently circulating.

While it’s not yet clear whether or not an Omicron vaccine is needed or how it will be used, Pfizer will have some doses ready because of demand from certain countries, he said.

“The hope is that we will achieve something that will have way, way better protection particularly against infections,” Dr Bourla explained.

“Because the protection against the hospitalisations and the severe disease – it is reasonable right now, with the current vaccines as long as you having, let’s say, the third dose.”

He added that it also remains unclear whether a fourth shot will become necessary, with Pfizer set to conduct experiments on the issue.

On Monday, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told the network the company is working on an Omicron-targeting booster shot to be introduced later this year.

“We are discussing with public health leaders around the world to decide what we think is the best strategy for the potential booster for the fall of 2022. We believe it will contain Omicron,” he said.

Mr Bancel said the Omicron-specific booster will enter clinical trial soon, and the pharmaceutical company is discussing whether the shot needs to contain any other components to fight the evolving virus.

“We need to be careful to try to stay ahead of a virus and not behind the virus,” he said.

“We need to be careful to try to stay ahead of a virus and not behind the virus.” Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

In Australia, health experts and officials have continued to urge residents to take up their booster shots.

“Strong evidence has accumulated … to indicate that booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines are likely to increase protection against infection with the Omicron variant,” the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) said in a statement on Christmas Eve.

“Although some early suggest that the risk of hospitalisation due to disease caused by the Omicron variant is lower than that with the Delta variant, this difference would not be enough to offset the impact of high case numbers on the health system.”

Last Tuesday, Australians became eligible to receive their booster shot just four months after their second jab, revised down from the original six.