Moderna Inc. has just received approval from the UK for a COVID-19 booster shot that targets Omicron, the version of the virus that is now the world’s most widespread. The swiftly named Spikewax Bivalent Original/Omicron has been given the green light for use in the UK and is expected to roll out in other countries soon.
Here’s what you need to know about the new booster:
Why is Moderna’s new vaccine called divalent?
The new shot targets two different strains of COVID-19 – the original version of the virus that emerged with the BA.1 subvariant in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, its oldest version omicron, Other versions of Omicron, ba.4 and ba.5 are now more prevalent, but the virus is evolving rapidly, new vaccines can be designed and tested, and this is the closest match available that has been approved. Moderna has another shot available targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, ordered by the US but not yet approved.
How effective is this?
moderna says that the drug triggered a strong immune response against the original virus and the BA.1 subvariant. According to the UK government, it produced a good immune response against Omicron’s latest subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. However, these are findings from laboratory studies that looked at levels of disease-fighting antibodies, which in the real world are just a proxy for protection. There is no concrete data from human trials yet to show that this booster exhibits better protection against omicron infection than existing shots.
Who is currently eligible for the Bivalent Booster?
The biconvex shot is approved for use only as a booster in adults. So far, it is only approved in the UK, where it may play a role in a fall booster campaign when another shot will be offered to people over the age of 50 or those with weakened immunity. Still, British health officials said people should take any boosters they are given, as the current shots offer excellent protection against serious illness and death.
Which countries will get the new shot of Moderna next?
The drugmaker says it has completed regulatory submissions for the updated shot in Australia, Canada and the European Union and expects more authorization decisions in the coming weeks. The European Union recently switched the remaining doses on its contract with Moderna to the company’s new bivalent shot and struck another deal to buy 15 million more doses. The US has purchased 66 million doses of Moderna’s other bivalent candidate that targets BA.4 and BA. 5; The country has the option to order up to 234 million more.
How often will you need to take shots?
It is not yet clear how often boosters – bivalent or otherwise – are needed, but experts consider annual top-ups for vulnerable people to be plausible as immunity to COVID decreases over time and new forms emerge. is inevitable. It is reasonable to expect that COVID shots could be given in a similar annual program like the flu vaccine, which is constantly changing.
It is not clear whether the shots will need to be constantly updated, as the original vaccines produced at the height of the pandemic still provided protection against serious illness and death.
How safe is the Omicron-Targeting Booster?
Moderna says the shot’s safety profile is similar to that of its original COVID vaccine.
Are there any other bivalent vaccines on the market?
Pfizer is also developing a bivalent vaccine based on the BA.1 strain and has applied for approval with EU drug regulators. GSK plc and Sanofi are also testing a shot that targets parts of the beta version, the first iteration of the coronavirus previously found in South Africa.
Chinese developers Sinovac Biotech Ltd and Sinopharm are also updating their inactivated COVID vaccine with the Omron version. None of these shots have been authorized by regulators. What other new Covid shots are around the corner?
Some pharmaceutical companies are trying to combine the flu and covid vaccines in one shot. Scientists are also developing pan-coronavirus vaccines that are expected to protect against COVID, along with other cousins of the coronavirus family, including SARS and MERS.
The hope, of course, is to develop a shot that not only stops the disease, but stops the infection altogether. If achieved, such a device could potentially eliminate the virus for good.
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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