Pfizer and its German partner on Tuesday launched a clinical study that will evaluate an updated version of their COVID-19 vaccine. The updated formulation targets Omicron, a variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Omicron became dominant in the United States last month; the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has proven much less effective, especially against infection, versus the strain. The study is enrolling up to 1,420 healthy adults aged 18 to 55. The participants will be divided into three cohorts. One group had already received two doses of the vaccine and will get one or two doses of the Omicron-based shot; another had already received three shots of the current vaccine and will receive one dose of the current vaccine or the Omicron-based jab; the third has not received any shots and will get three doses of the Omicron-based vaccine. “While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide a …