Covid booster jabs will PROTECT against Omicron, major new study suggests

BOOSTER jabs should be enough to protect Brits from falling seriously unwell from the Omicron variant, top scientists claim.

New data vindicates the UK’s decision to offer Pfizer or Moderna as a third shot.

In a trial of seven boosters, the two mRNA jabs came out on top - triggering the biggest rise in Covid antibodies.

Volunteers experienced an up to 32 times spike in levels of the protective proteins.

Experts also observed patients given Pfizer or Modern experienced a sharp rise in T-cells, which also fight off the virus, by killing cells infected with Covid.

Lead researcher Professor Saul Faust, from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said the broad immune response means boosters will likely cope well with Omicron.

He said: “Our hope as scientists is that protection against hospitalisation and death will remain intact.

“The T-cell data is showing us that it does seem to be broader against all the variant strains, which gives us hope that a variant strain of the virus might be able to be handled, certainly for hospitalisation and death if not prevention of infection, by the current vaccines.”

Prof Faust said data on how boosters work against Omicron specifically would come from the UK Health Security Agency "in due course".

The trial, published in The Lancet, looked at the impact giving nearly 2,900 Brits a third shot around three months after their second dose.

Of the seven jabs tested, six jabs – Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Novavax, Janssen and Curevac – all triggered a good immune response.

But the two shots being used in the UK booster campaign had the best effect.

Prof Faust added: “All of the vaccines in our study do show a statistically significant boost... RNA (Pfizer and Moderna) very high, but very effective boosts from Novavax, Janssen and AstraZeneca as well.”

Government scientists are now studying samples from Brits given their third jabs against the new Omicron variant.

Fears the vaccines will prove less effective against Omicron have sparked a race to offer booster jabs to all adults by the end of January.

Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said: "This is a fantastic study.

"It shows that an mRNA booster - such as Moderna or Pfizer - provided the best overall boost, irrespective of whether your first doses were mRNA or AstraZeneca.

"The fact that the mRNA vaccine boosts gave a marked increase in both antibodies and T cells is great news, especially now, when our attention has been grabbed by the emergence of the Omicron variant.”

Pfizer boss Dr Albert Bourla said annual Covid boosters are likely.

It comes as ministers secured an extra 114 doses of variant-busting Pfizer and Moderna jabs – enough to vaccinate Britain twice over.