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COVID Boosters Are Key In Protecting Against Omicron Variant, Experts Say

So you had COVID-19. Then you got vaccinated. But now you're feeling sick and you're wondering if it's the Omicron variant.

Booster shot

Booster shot

Photo Credit: fernandozhiminaicela Pixabay

It very well could be -- if you don't have your booster shot, new research finds.

The new, highly-contagious variant is expected to "rip right through the population" and will be worse for those who are vaccinated and not boosted, world-renowned virologist and Columbia University professor Dr. David Ho said in an interview with CNBC.

Ho said that those who have booster shots are far less likely to experience COVID-19 symptoms.

Moderna said Monday citing lab findings that its vaccine booster shows a significant increase in antibody levels against omicron, CNBC says. Real-world data suggests that Pfizer's booster provides about a 75 percent protection against a symptomatic omicron infection, CNBC said.

A cough, runny nose and fatigue were the most common symptoms of Omicron for people who had the first two doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine, a new study shows.  The findings are based off of interviews conducted among attendees of a Christmas party Nov. 26 in Norway, when the new variant first presented.

Ho urged everyone to get their booster shots -- either Pfizer or Moderna, preferably -- in which peak protection will be reached 2-3 weeks after the shot, he told CNBC.

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