New vaccine compositions against Covid-19 will contain Omicron variant sublines

The production of new vaccines against Covid-19 will prioritize the use of recent strains of the coronavirus in the composition of vaccines. In a statement this Thursday (18), the WHO (World Health Organization) reinforced that immunizers should be used as an antigen, that is, a substance capable of inducing an immune response in our body, with lineages descended from XBB 1. The XBB variant is a recombinant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sublines, both are lineages of the Omicron variant, according to the WHO.

In the published statement, WHO emphasizes that current vaccines against Covid-19 remain highly effective in preventing severe cases and death. However, updating the composition of these immunizers takes into account the constant evolution of the virus and circulating variants, with the aim of improving protection against the disease. This announcement is the result of recent discussions by the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Vaccine Composition, which met last week, reaching a consensus on the composition for future formulations of vaccines against the disease.

_{Vaccines in production. (Photo: Reproduction — Gettyimages)}

This group looks at the performance of vaccines that are currently available in the context of the evolution of the virus. According to WHO, the hard and continuous work and constant updates provided by scientists aim to improve the vaccine-induced immune response to circulating variants. The epidemiological bulletin published recently by the WHO, was released this Thursday (18) and points out that, globally, almost 2 million new cases and more than 16,000 deaths were reported in the last 28 days evaluated by the WHO, in the period of April 17 on the 14th of May.

These indices represent a significant drop of 14% and 25%, respectively, in a comparison with the previous 28 days (March 20 to April 16).

The situation is mixed at regional levels, with increases in cases seen in the Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions and a sharp increase in deaths in the Southeast Asia region. As of May 14, 2023, more than 760 million confirmed cases and more than 6 million deaths have been reported to WHO globally.

Featured photo: Vaccination in Brazil. Reproduction — Agência Saúde/DF