EU medical agency chief: Two weeks needed to study COVID-19 vaccines’ effectiveness on omicron

The head of the European Union’s medical agency on Tuesday said it will take roughly two weeks to determine if existing COVID-19 vaccines are effective in protecting against infection from the new omicron variant, which is starting to appear in a number of countries across the globe.

Emer Cooke, the executive director of the European Medicines Agency, underscored the importance of examining “the cross-neutralization” of the vaccines to determine their efficacies in protecting against new variants, adding that the process “takes about two weeks,” according to The Associated Press.

Cooke added that if a new vaccine is needed to target the omicron variant, the EU could have it approved “within three to four months.”

“I want to assure you that we’re working with the companies and with other regulators to make sure that we’re as prepared and ready as possible,” Cooke said.

The medical agency chief’s comments come as individuals across the globe are waiting to see if existing coronavirus vaccines protect against the new omicron variant, which has a high number of mutations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) labeled the omicron strain a variant of concern last week after it was first identified in South Africa. It has since been detected in a number of countries.

The agency later wrote in a technical brief to member states that the omicron variant poses a “very high” risk throughout the world.

Cooke on Tuesday said the European Medicines Agency is “prepared” to handle the omicron variant but did recognize that it may have to alter its current approach.

“We know that at some stage there will be a mutation that means we have to change the current approach,” Cooke said, according to the AP.

Health officials across the globe are still working to gather key information regarding the omicron variant, including transmissibility and severity.