Seven tourists have tested positive for the Omicron variant in South Africa, despite all of them being triple-vaccinated.
The group of young Germans, between the ages of 25 and 39, were reported to have contracted the Omicron variant in South Africa despite receiving their booster vaccination. All symptoms reported are mild.
The finding was reported by Wolfgang Preiser, a member of the research consortium that discovered the variant.
“We’re seeing a lot of breakthrough infections right now,” Preiser told German news outlet Tagesspiegel.
“What we did not know is that even a booster vaccination with Biontech-Pfizer does not prevent this.”
All seven tourists had received at least two of their three vaccinations with an mRNA jab – six BioNTech-Pfizer boosters, one from Moderna.
To date, nobody has died of the Omicron variant, and most cases are reported to be mild.