The modern American biotechnological firm announced its intention to develop a specific reinforcement vaccine for the new variant omicron of Covid-19, detected in South Africa and considered “worrying” by WHO.
“Modern will quickly develop a candidate vaccine for a specific reinforcement dose for the omicron variant,” said US company in a statement.
The announcement is part of an aimed strategy to work in specific doses of reinforcement for the worrying variants, according to modern.
“EN 2020-2021, that already included the reinforcement doses for the Delta and Beta variants,” said the laboratory, which indicated having “demonstrated repeated opportunities their ability to pass new candidates for clinical trial phase in 60-90
days”.
“Since its inception, we have said that to fight the pandemic, it is imperative to be proactive with the evolution of the virus,” said the executive director of Moderna, Stéphane Banca, cited in the statement.
“The mutations of the omicron variant are worrisome and for several days we also advance as quickly as possible to execute our strategy, in order to fight against this variant,” he added.
Potentially very contagious and multiple mutations, the new variant raises world concern while spreading outside South Africa, forcing the world to progressively close its borders with Austral Africa.
In Europe, Belgium detected a first case.
Another was identified in Hong Kong and another in Israel, in a person who returned from Malawi.
The German Laboratory Biontech, Pfizer’s ally, has said that he studies that variant, and waits “no later than two weeks” the first results of studies that will allow him to determine if he is able to penetrate the protection of his vaccine.
“Several weeks” will be needed to understand the level of transmissibility and virulence of the new variant, the WHO spokesperson underlined this Friday.
For the European Medicines Agency (EMA), it is “premature” to foresee an adaptation of vaccines to the omicron variant.
