American pharmaceutical firm Moderna, one of the biggest vaccine makers against the Covid-19, has said that it could reformulate the vaccine against the Omicron variant by early 2022.
Moderna Inc. Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton said he suspects that the new omicron coronavirus variant may elude current vaccines, and if so, a reformulated shot could be available early in the new year.
“We should know about the ability of the current vaccine to provide protection in the next couple of weeks,” Burton said.
“If we have to make a brand new vaccine, I think that’s going to be early 2022 before that’s really going to be available in large quantities,” he said. “The remarkable thing about the mRNA vaccines, the Moderna platform, is that we can move very fast."
Omicron has been classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, meaning it is more contagious, more virulent or more skilled at evading public health measures, vaccines and therapeutics. The variant contains 30 mutations to the spike protein that allows the virus to enter the body. Officials have warned that many of these mutations could lead to increased antibody resistance and transmissibility, which could limit the effectiveness of existing Covid vaccines.
Moderna Inc. Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton said he suspects that the new omicron coronavirus variant may elude current vaccines, and if so, a reformulated shot could be available early in the new year.
“We should know about the ability of the current vaccine to provide protection in the next couple of weeks,” Burton said.
“If we have to make a brand new vaccine, I think that’s going to be early 2022 before that’s really going to be available in large quantities,” he said. “The remarkable thing about the mRNA vaccines, the Moderna platform, is that we can move very fast."
Omicron has been classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, meaning it is more contagious, more virulent or more skilled at evading public health measures, vaccines and therapeutics. The variant contains 30 mutations to the spike protein that allows the virus to enter the body. Officials have warned that many of these mutations could lead to increased antibody resistance and transmissibility, which could limit the effectiveness of existing Covid vaccines.
