COVID-19: Delta measures work against omicron: WHO

World Health Organization officials have said that while border closures may help some countries buy time to deal with the new omicron variant, the measures put in place to deal with the delta variant must remain the foundation for effectively fighting the pandemic.

"Border control can delay the virus coming in and buy time. But every country and every community must prepare for new surges in cases," WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr. Takeshi Kasai said.

"The positive news in all of this is that none of the information we have currently about omicron suggests we need to change the directions of our response."

However, he added that the Asia-Pacific region should brace for a surge in cases ahead of the Christmas holidays. People needed to remain vigilant due to increased travel and gatherings.

While much remains unknown about the new variant, some health authorities suspect that it may be more contagious. Many questions remain, including whether it makes people more seriously ill or if it can thwart the vaccine.

WHO Regional Emergency Director Dr. Babatunde Olowokure said countries must aim to implement the same measures used to curb the spread of the delta variant, including full vaccination coverage, social distancing, mask wearing and other measures.

Coronavirus vaccines made using the mRNA technology, like the BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna shots, provide the biggest boost to antibody levels when administered 10-12 weeks after the second shot, a British study has found.

The "COV-Boost" study found that a full dose or half dose of the Pfizer shot, or a full dose of Moderna vaccine, provided an effective boost to antibody and T-cell levels in both cases, regardless of whether the initial vaccination was done with Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

"A third dose will be effective for many of the vaccines we've tested and in many different combinations," Professor Saul Faust, an immunologist at the University of Southampton, said.