BioNTech and Pfizer said a three-shot course of their Covid-19 vaccine was shown to generate a neutralising effect against the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test.

In the first official statement from vaccine manufacturers on the likely efficacy of their shot against Omicron, BioNTech and Pfizer said in a joint statement that two vaccine doses resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but that a third dose of their vaccine increased the neutralising antibodies by a factor of 25.

They added that, if needed, they can deliver an Omicron-based vaccine in March 2022.