Xinhua News Agency, Geneva, January 11 (Reporter Liu Qu) The World Health Organization issued a statement on the 11th saying that the new crown vaccine that has been certified by WHO for emergency use is still effective against the Omicron strain, but the existing new crown vaccine may Updates are also needed to continue to provide people with adequate protection against current and future mutated coronaviruses.
Experts from the WHO's new crown vaccine composition technical advisory group are currently analyzing evidence related to the "required concern" variant strains, and may revise the recommendations for new crown vaccine strain components accordingly, the statement said.
According to the transmissibility and pathogenicity of the mutated new coronavirus, the WHO has classified the mutated strains as "requiring attention" or "requiring attention", among which Omicron and Delta are all mutant viruses that "require attention" strains.
The WHO's new crown vaccine composition technical advisory group was established in September last year and consists of 18 experts from different disciplines.
The expert group issued a provisional statement on the 11th, saying that the new crown vaccine that has been certified by WHO for emergency use is still effective against the mutant strains that "required attention" such as Omicron, especially for the severe disease and death of the new crown. Protect.
But at the same time, experts also emphasized the need to develop vaccines that can better prevent the infection and spread of the new coronavirus in the future.
In addition, as the new coronavirus mutates, the components of the existing new crown vaccine may also need to be updated to ensure that the infection and Continue to provide the WHO-recommended level of protection in the event of illness.
Specifically, the updated vaccine strain components need to be genetically and antigenically similar to the circulating mutant virus, be more effective in preventing infection, and elicit a "broad, strong and durable" immune response to "reduce the risk of Need for continuous reinforcement needles".
WHO has also proposed a number of options for updating the programme, including the development of monovalent vaccines against the main circulating variant strains, multivalent vaccines containing antigens from multiple variant strains that "require attention", or the development of more sustained, multivalent vaccines targeting different variants. A long-term vaccine for which the strain remains effective.
In response to the Omicron strain currently circulating in many countries, the expert group calls for a wider global promotion of full vaccination and booster programs, hoping to help reduce the emergence of new "requiring attention" mutant strains and reduce its hazards.