Moderna claim updated Covid-19 shot boosts omicron protection

UPDATED Covid-19 shot boosts omicron protection announced Moderna in a press release today Wednesday, June 8

The experimental Covid-19 vaccine by Moderna combines its original shot with protection against the omicron variant and appears to work.

The Covid-19 vaccine makers are studying updated boosters to better protect people against future coronavirus surges and these shots might be offered as early as autumn.

Moderna’s preliminary study results show people given the combination shot experienced an eight-fold increase in virus-fighting antibodies capable of targeting the omicron mutant, the company announced.

Today’s Covid-19 vaccines are all based on the coronavirus’s original version. They’re still providing strong protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death even after the appearance of the super-contagious omicron variant especially if people have had a booster dose.

But the virus continues to mutate rapidly in ways that let it evade some of the vaccines’ protections and cause milder infections.

The World Health Organization, are considering whether to order a change in the vaccine recipe for a new round of booster shots in the autumn when cold weather and kids returning to school are expected to drive yet another surge.

Moderna said its new study found that a month after the combo shot, recipients harboured higher omicron-fighting antibody levels and cross-protection against other prior variants than the original vaccine triggers.

However, antibodies naturally wane so it’s not clear how long the protection against infection will last.

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