Multiple early studies find notable Omicron vaccine evasion

In quickly moving scientific developments over the past 24 hours, three separate labs that tested the Omicron (B.1.1.529) COVID-19 variant against vaccines reported significant immune escape based on reduced antibody titers, which were followed by similar findings from Pfizer that also suggest a third dose shores up antibody titers. In other developments, the World Health Organization (WHO) in its weekly update said global cases were at a plateau last week for the second week in a row, though cases rose sharply in Africa—especially in South Africa and neighboring countries. And at a briefing, WHO officials said the Omicron variant has been detected in at least 57 countries so far. A flurry of immune escape clues Last week, global health officials predicted that researchers would work fast to shed light on the Omicron variant threat and how well countermeasures might hold up. For early clues about impact on vaccines, researchers have been testing Omicron variant...