Vaccines will likely protect against severe COVID-19 cases from the new omicron variant, a World Health Organization official said, seeking to ease concerns that the strain might get around the most effective tool for fighting the pandemic.
"We know that vaccines are likely to have some protection,” WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said in a press briefing. "We still need to find out if there’s any loss of protection, but we think vaccines will still protect against severe disease as they have against the other variants.”
The WHO’s statement is the latest in a series of efforts from health authorities to reassure the public on vaccines even as many questions about the new variant remain unanswered.