There are still many question marks behind the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

What is clear, however, is that it can spread rapidly.

In South Africa, where the mutant was first detected, it already dominates the infection process.

In Germany, only a few cases are known so far, but virologists like Christian Drosten expect a steep increase in this country too.

"I think we will have a problem with Omikron in Germany from January," Drosten told the radio station NDR-Info.

If Omikron then "takes over" the wave of infection, one can no longer hope that the pandemic will be over by Easter.

Werner Mussler

Business correspondent in Brussels.

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Christian Geinitz

Business correspondent in Berlin

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So politics is arming itself as best it can against the spread of the great unknowns.

Especially since the new Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has promised to defeat the virus and at best to hurry ahead in the fight instead of always running after it.

Most of all, being prepared means having an effective vaccine.

Developing a vaccine against Omicron does not seem that complicated to the researchers. Both Biontech and Moderna are in the process of “recreating” the corresponding proteins, according to the industry: “There are no insurmountable obstacles, that is no rocket science.” The first batches of samples could be available in four to six weeks . The market readiness and mass production can only be expected in the spring.

Both of the leading mRNA vaccine manufacturers, Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna, recently announced that they would probably be able to deliver such new vaccines in March. The prerequisite for this is timely approval. As we are hearing now, the process could possibly be accelerated by resorting to vaccine derivatives that have already been developed. This is because the manufacturers researched against it immediately after the appearance of earlier mutants, such as beta and gamma. Mixed preparations are also available. However, these modifications were not approved because the basic vaccines had already proven to be effective, especially against the now prevailing delta form. But it could be that the material lying “in the drawers” ​​protects against omicron, it said.

Possible bottlenecks are not in development or in production capacities, which are considered sufficient.

Experts see the bottleneck in the indispensable testing of antibody reactions to Omikron.

There are already the first neutralization tests that show how many of those antibodies a vaccinated person has in the blood serum that bind to the virus variant and thus switch it off (neutralize).

The virologist Sandra Ciesek recently demonstrated in the laboratory that the existing vaccines only help against Omikron to a limited extent.

Biontech and Moderna had published test results according to which at least three doses were necessary against Omikron.

But now we hear that the studies need much more extensive, qualified and approved tests than the previous ones.

Preparation at European level

The existing supply contracts include the necessary adjustments, so no new agreements are required. "The EU has the option of calling up doses of a variant-specific vaccine at no additional cost to the EU," said the pharmaceutical industry. The founder of Biontech, Ugur Sahin, recently told “Spiegel” that a fourth vaccination against Omikron would probably be necessary in the summer. "A vaccine adapted to an Omikron variant" may then be used. Biontech is already working on such a modification, but it has not yet been decided whether it will be produced. There were various omicron mutants, of which it was unclear which would prevail and which the drug would then have to protect against. Only in a few weeks will it become clear whether a new type of vaccine is necessary.

In July, the then Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) announced that Germany had ordered around 204 million cans for 2022.

As it turned out, there were 84 million units from Biontech, 32 million from Moderna, 42 from Sanofi, 16 from Novavax and 11 million from Valneva.

The latter three have not yet been approved; Sanofi recently withdrew from mRNA Covid research.

The cost of vaccine purchases in the new year is reportedly around 3.9 billion euros.