In what appears to be a blind trust that nothing could possibly go wrong with the idea, COVID-19 shot makers are basing their fall booster on a formula that’s only been tested on mice.
Both Pfizer and Moderna have human studies planned, The Atlantic reports, but for right now they are relying on antibody data from mice to bridge the “success” to humans.
Ironically, scientists admit that they “know nothing yet about the efficacy or effectiveness of these Omicron-focused vaccines,” and they “can’t be sure of the degree to which the shots will improve upon the original recipe.”
“We know nothing yet about the efficacy or effectiveness of these Omicron-focused vaccines,” Gregory Poland, a vaccinologist at the Mayo Clinic, said. Aside from the uncertainty as to how they’ll work in humans, there’s a different problem surfacing, he added, and that is the “psychological hurdle” that many people believe the pandemic is “over and done.”
SOURCE:
The Atlantic August 25, 2022