Against the Omicron variant, the mRNA vaccines available in France are effective from the third dose. While the Sputnik V vaccine is not authorized in Europe, a new study suggests that it would be effective from the second dose!
You will also be interested
[EN VIDÉO] How does a messenger RNA vaccine work? Pfizer and Moderna have chosen this cutting-edge technique to design their vaccine against Covid-19 in record time. This video presents everything you need to know about messenger RNA vaccines in three minutes!
the Omicron variant is sweeping across Europe. In France, 525,527 people tested positive on January 20, 2022 alone. A new record! The barrier measures put in place by the government do not seem to be able to stop the variant Omicron from coronavirus. On the other hand, the vaccines are an interesting weapon. If they are not fully effective against the transmission of virus, they reduce the intensity of symptoms and the number of hospitalizations. The two vaccines currently most used in France are vaccines with mRNA, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna brands. Three doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine confer protection of the order of 70% against the Omicron variant. It’s already good but it seems that the Russian vaccine Sputnik V can do better! More specifically, a recent study suggests that the Sputnik V vaccine would confer a immunity satisfactory against Omicron from the second dose.
More effective than Pfizer against Omicron
Blood samples were collected from patients three to six months after receiving two injections of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (n=17) or two injections of the Sputnik V vaccine (n=51). The level ofantibody resistant to Omicron was higher in patients who received the Sputnik V vaccine than in those who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Indeed, antibodies capable of neutralizing Omicron were detected in the serum of 74.2% of patients with the Russian vaccine, versus 56.9% with the vaccine Pfizer.
These results are preliminary and concern a small number of patients. This is pre-publication information; that is, the study has not yet been peer reviewed. Nevertheless, they suggest that the 3and dose would not necessarily be a mandatory step to have a complete vaccination schedule.
What are the characteristics of the Sputnik V vaccine?
The Sputnik V vaccine targets the protein Spike of the coronavirus, like the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Spike protein is a key protein of the virus: it is what allows the virus to enter our cells. On the other hand, its technology is different from mRNA vaccines. It is a non-replicating viral vector vaccine from the family of adenovirus. Two injections are necessary intramuscularly, 21 days apart. The two doses are different, they do not contain the same adenovirus.
For the moment, the Sputnik V vaccine is not available in France. Being vaccinated with two doses of this vaccine does not allow access to the vaccination pass. It is not approved by the EMA (European Medicine Agency). His file is being analyzed by theWHO for potential certification.
Interested in what you just read?