Perspectives on the Global Impact and Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against Emerging SARS-Cov-2 variant Omicron

Abstract

The new Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported on November 2021 in South Africa and classified as a variant of concern by WHO. It spread globally in a very short span and became a predominant variant in several countries. The emerging Omicron variant is a highly transformed virus with more than 50 mutations, and the majority were found in Spike (S) protein that interacts with human cells. This Covid-19 outbreak resulted in more than 5 million deaths with an ongoing hike in morbidity and mortality, leaving economic recession worldwide. Currently, several Covid-19 vaccines have been approved that mainly were rely on S-protein. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolves to get fit and escape host immunity, the effectiveness of existing Covid-19 vaccines against the new variants needs to be addressed. Here, we have presented various perspectives on the global impact of new variant Omicron and ongoing vaccine developments to fight against dangerous future variants with high transmissibility and evade host neutralizing antibodies.