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According to a study conducted by a team from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), two doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine does not provide sufficient antibodies to protect against the Omicron variant.

The team from the university's department of microbiology advised the public to "get a third dose of the vaccine as soon as possible", while awaiting the next generation of shots, naming both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as well as CoronaVac (Sinovac).

However, the research team added that the efficacy of the booster shot in improving the antibody response to the Omicron variant remains to be determined.

HKU's study

Among a group of 25 people vaccinated with two doses of the Sinovac vaccine, none showed sufficient antibodies to neutralise the Omicron variant, according to the study, which was released on Dec. 14.

The team also studied another group of 25 people who were vaccinated with two doses of the mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, and found that only five of them had sufficient antibodies to neutralise the new variant.

The vaccine's efficiency against the Omicron variant was also significantly reduced, to about 20 to 24 per cent.

The results of the study have been accepted for publication in the medical journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Currently, two types of vaccines -- Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech -- are available to the public in Hong Kong.

According to Bloomberg, Pfizer and BioNTech previously said that a third dose of their vaccine may be needed to neutralise the Omicron variant.

A vaccine targeted at the variant may also be required, and Pfizer reportedly said that such a vaccine would be ready by March, 2022.

Sinovac's response

Meanwhile, Sinovac published its own findings a day later on Dec. 15.

It stated that 35 per cent of people who completed the two-dose regimen of the Sinovac vaccine "tested positive in neutralising antibodies" against the Omicron variant, Chinese state-controlled media Global Times reported.

The study was conducted on a group of 20 people, seven of which displayed sufficient levels of antibodies.

Additionally, the company claimed that a booster shot, i.e. a third dose, could enhance the Sinovac vaccine's capacity to neutralise the new variant.

According to the company, out of 48 people who got the booster shot, 45 of them showed sufficient antibodies to neutralise the Omicron variant, which translates into an efficacy rate of about 94 per cent.

Singapore study reveals lower protection from Sinovac against Delta variant as compared to Pfizer and Moderna

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) said on Dec. 15 that two doses of the Sinovac vaccine offered lower protection against severe disease from the Delta variant, in comparison with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine.

Based on analysis of local data, the effectiveness of two doses of the Sinovac vaccine was 60 per cent against severe disease, lower than that of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines which were 90 per cent and 97 per cent respectively.

The study period was from Oct. 1 to Nov. 21 and covered 1.25 million individuals aged 40 and above, who received two doses of the vaccine under the National Vaccination Programme.

MOH further encouraged those who received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine to get their third dose or opt for a dose of an mRNA vaccine.

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