New vaccine may be needed

The head of BioNTech, the German coronavirus vaccine partner to pharmaceutical company Pfizer, says a new coronavirus vaccine could eventually be needed in the face of the Omicron variant.

‘‘I believe, in principle, we will at a certain time point need a new vaccine against this new variant. The question is how urgent this needs to be available,’’ Ugur Sahin told a conference hosted by Reuters.

He also said the current vaccine could be adapted ‘‘relatively quickly’’ if needed to combat the Omicron variant, but cautioned that more research was still required. Billions of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been administered globally.

Sahin also said he expected that the Omicron variant might still infect those who had been vaccinated – known as breakthrough cases. However, he added that vaccines should continue to provide protection against severe disease.

As the pandemic enters its third year, Sahin said he could foresee a scenario where coronavirus vaccine shots became annual, like flu shots.

Little is definitively known about the Omicron variant, and Sahin and other vaccine makers have called for more research.

Coronavirus vaccine maker Moderna’s CEO, Ste´ phane Bancel, struck a different tone this week when he predicted ‘‘a material drop’’ in protection against the Omicron variant from existing vaccines, compared with previous variants of the virus. ‘‘All the

scientists I’ve talked to . . . [say], This is not going to be good,’’ he told the Financial Times.

World Health Organisation officials in Europe have previously said there is no evidence so far to suggest that vaccines would be less effective against Omicron.

New South Wales authorities are racing to track down the source of an emerging Omicron variant cluster at a western Sydney school, as Covid-19 case numbers begin to spike again.

The state reported another 325 new cases of the coronavirus yesterday, and one death, 12

fewer than the number reported on Friday, which was the highest tally in six weeks.

There have been 13 Omicron cases confirmed with genomic testing in NSW, but only about half are linked to the eight countries of concern. A concerning cluster of infections at Regents Park Christian School in western Sydney stands at 13, with three already confirmed positive for Omicron.

The first student confirmed to have the new variant did not have any known link to southern Africa, and urgent investigations are searching for the source of

the cluster.

Approval of Covid-19 vaccines for Australian five- to 11-yearolds is imminent, with a January rollout likely.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Therapeutic Goods Administration and Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation should make a call on Pfizer paediatric doses before the end of the year. It is understood that the first shipment is due to arrive in Australia before Christmas.

Hunt said Moderna booster doses for the general population were also on the cards, with confirmation by Christmas or sooner.

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has blamed white supremacists in the United States for spreading online misinformation about coronavirus vaccines among Indigenous people in his state.

McGowan urged Indigenous people to listen to medical experts about vaccines instead. He said he was made aware of the misinformation by local leaders.

A senior Aboriginal affairs official in Western Australia, Wanita Bartholomeusz, said some misinformation was coming from Facebook groups, including one that had a cover image of former US president Donald Trump. She also said inaccurate information was being relayed to Aboriginal communities, and that the material was linked back to groups in the US.

Western Australia has largely kept the coronavirus at bay, but has the lowest two-dose immunisation rate in the country, with just over 77 percent of those aged 16 and above fully vaccinated. The rate for Indigenous people aged over 16 is much lower, at roughly 63 per cent. The town of Leonora has immunised just 13 per cent of its Aboriginal residents, according to the ABC.

Experts have warned since the early days of the pandemic that the coronavirus could overrun the country’s Indigenous communities, which suffer from higher rates of chronic health issues and a lower life expectancy than nonIndigenous Australians, particularly in remote areas.