BioNTech and Pfizer said on Wednesday a three-shot course of their Covid-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test and said they could deliver an upgraded vaccine in March 2022, if needed.

       BioNTech and Pifzer are the first manufacturers of a Covid vaccine to issue an official update on the efficacy of their shot against Omicron.

       In the first official statement on the efficacy of their vaccine against Omicron, The German and US companies said two doses resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but a third dose boosted those antibodies by a factor of 25.

       The Omicron variant was neutralised in samples of blood taken around a month after the third shot about as effectively as two doses neutralised the original virus identified in China.

       “Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” Pfizer boss Albert Bourla said.

       The Omicron variant, first detected in southern Africa last month, has triggered global alarm about another surge in infections.

       The World Health Organization classified Omicron on November 26 as a "variant of concern" but said there was no evidence to support the need for new vaccines specifically designed to tackle the variant and its mutations.