Study suggests reinfection risk of Omicron | 研究表明奥密克戎有再感染安全性

As for treatments, Xie said most monoclonal antibody drugs have lost their effectiveness against the Omicron subvariants due to the new mutations, save for Bebtelovimab and Evusheld.

Scientists may need to find new combinations of antibodies that can target the new strains, he said. One combination candidate, namely SA58 and SA55, has displayed high potency against all Omicron subvariants, but more research is needed to confirm their effectiveness.

"It is easy to find an antibody that is highly potent in neutralizing the virus, but the key is to find an antibody that is hard for the new subvariant to evade," he said.

These antibodies can also be turned into safe preventive medications for the Omicron variant, but the downside is such treatment is currently very expensive, he said. However, the cost can be lowered to a manageable level if production scales up or if the treatment is only used among highly vulnerable demographics, such as those who are immune-compromised, he added.

Source: Ecns.cn

Editor: Gao Xin

Senior Editor: Tian Minjia