Moderna shot is said to produce eightfold increase in antibody levels against Omicron in first four weeks
An updated version of Moderna’s Covid vaccine produces an eightfold increase in antibody levels against the, according to early trial results, raising hopes for a once-a-year booster to protect against the disease.
“The data we show today are really important because we get a really strong antibody response against Omicron,” he said. “For the first time, we could really be looking at the potential for just once-yearly boosting, because we can get people to such a high level that they will take longer to decay.”
About a quarter of those who took part in the trial had previously been infected with Covid, and in these, antibody levels rose even further. Burton said antibody levels above 400 units seemed sufficient to prevent infection, and in the trial, levels rose as high as 6,000 in those who had not been infected with Covid before, and 9,500 in those who previously tested positive. “Both got a very good, brisk, robust increase in antibody levels,” Burton said.
Moderna’s bivalent vaccine targets the BA.1 variant, but Burton said that even if there was some reduction in protection against more recent Omicron variants, it should still offer good long-term protection. “I feel confident it will hold up against the family right now,” he said.