Pfizer says its vaccine can help protect those against the omicron strain of the coronavirus.

The news comes as the number of COVID cases rise in New York City.

Health officials are still encouraging people even if they are vaccinated to get tested at spots like NYC Health + Hospitals. There are over 1,500 new confirmed cases on a seven-day rolling average across New York City, and that number is on an uphill trend.

Essentially, Pfizer says that the protection increases by about 20 times more for those who get the booster shot compared to just getting the original two doses.

For those who haven't gotten any booster shot just yet, experts say the Pfizer booster does help but even just getting the full dose of the vaccine is better than none.

Officials say these findings are preliminary, as it is a small sample collection. They are working on a specific vaccine for the omicron variant that is expected to be available in the spring.

Experts say that the new omicron variant has generally mild symptoms, but it is still very early in the research stage. The variant has been detected in 19 states, including in New York.