Moderna announces step toward updating COVID booster for fall, combining original vaccine with protection against omicron
Today's COVID-19 vaccines all are based on the original version of the coronavirus. But the virus continues to mutate, with the super-contagious omicron variant - and its siblings - the latest threat.
While the antibody increase was modest, Moderna's goal is to produce a combination shot that specifically targets omicron."These results really give us hope" that next step will work even better, said Dr. Jacqueline Miller, a Moderna vice president.COVID-19 vaccines still are providing strong protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death, even against omicron.
Just switching to a vaccine that targets the latest variant is risky, because the virus could mutate again. So Moderna and its rival Pfizer both are testing what scientists call"bivalent" shots - a mix of each company's original vaccine and an omicron-targeted version.
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