An omicron variant vaccination could be available in early 2022, says Moderna

Moderna’s Chief Medical Officer, Paul Burton, said on Sunday that a reformulated vaccination against the omicron coronavirus type could be available early next year.

It’s unclear whether new vaccine formulations would be required, or whether current Covid vaccines will protect against the new variety that has begun to spread over the world.

“We should know about the ability of the current vaccine to provide protection in the next couple of weeks,” Burton said on BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show,” “but the remarkable thing about the MRNA vaccines, Moderna platform is that we can move very fast.”

“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 further added.

The World Health Organization has designated Omicron as a “variant of concern,” meaning it is more contagious, virulent, or adept at evading public health interventions, vaccinations, and therapies. The spike protein, which permits the virus to enter the host, has 30 mutations in this version. Many of these alterations, according to officials, could lead to greater antibody resistance and transmissibility, limiting the effectiveness of existing Covid vaccinations.

The vaccine maker claimed in a statement that it “mobilized hundreds” of staff starting early Thursday morning, Thanksgiving morning, to begin examining the new variety.

According to Burton, depending on how long ago a person was shot, current immunizations may provide some protection. Nonetheless, he recommends that unvaccinated people get vaccinated or get their booster injections if they are eligible.

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Originally published at https://yellowtelegraph.com on November 28, 2021.