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Pfizer booster spurs immune response to new omicron subtypes
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FILE - Ryan Dutton, an EMT from Rescue Inc., prepares shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccine during a vaccine clinic held by Rescue Inc. at Leland & Gray Middle and High School, in Townshend, Vt., on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. The updated COVID-19 boosters aren't an exact match to the newest omicron mutants but Pfizer says lab tests suggest its shot may offer some cross-protection. - photo by Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP, File
Pfizer said Friday that its updated COVID-19 booster may offer some protection against newly emerging omicron mutants even though it's not an exact match. Americans have been reluctant to get the updated boosters rolled out by Pfizer and rival Moderna, doses tweaked to target the BA.5 omicron strain that until recently was the most common type. With relatives of BA.5 now on the rise, a question is how the new boosters will hold up.