Early data indicate that there’s no need for a COVID-19 vaccine booster that specifically targets the Omicron virus variant, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday, the same day the World Health Organization said vaccines may be less effective against the variant. “Our booster vaccine regimens work against Omicron. At this point, there is no need for a variant-specific booster,” Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told a virtual press briefing. Fauci cited an interim analysis from Pfizer and BioNTech, which makes one of the vaccines; a paper from Rockefeller University scientists; a study from his own agency; and a study (pdf) from British researchers. None of the research has been peer-reviewed. The Pfizer and BioNTech analysis was issued in the form of a press release and the companies have not made the data available for review. NIAID has not released its study yet. Pfizer said the …