Neutralization of Omicron BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3 SARS-CoV-2 by 3 doses of BNT162b2 vaccine

Nat Commun. 2022 Jun 23;13(1):3602. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-30681-1.

Abstract

The newly emerged Omicron SARS-CoV-2 has several distinct sublineages including BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3. BA.1 accounts for the initial surge and is being replaced by BA.2, whereas BA.3 is at a low prevalence at this time. Here we report the neutralization of BNT162b2-vaccinated sera (collected 1 month after dose 3) against the three Omicron sublineages. To facilitate the neutralization testing, we have engineered the complete BA.1, BA.2, or BA.3 spike into an mNeonGreen USA-WA1/2020 SRAS-CoV-2. All BNT162b2-vaccinated sera neutralize USA-WA1/2020, BA.1-, BA.2-, and BA.3-spike SARS-CoV-2s with titers of >20; the neutralization geometric mean titers (GMTs) against the four viruses are 1211, 336, 300, and 190, respectively. Thus, the BA.1-, BA.2-, and BA.3-spike SARS-CoV-2s are 3.6-, 4.0-, and 6.4-fold less efficiently neutralized than the USA-WA1/2020, respectively. Our data have implications in vaccine strategy and understanding the biology of Omicron sublineages.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04368728.

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • BNT162 Vaccine
  • COVID-19* / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Viral Vaccines*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Viral Vaccines
  • BNT162 Vaccine

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04368728