Moderna said it aims to develop a booster shot, specifically for the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, according to the company’s recent press release.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said South Africa’s new Omicron variant is a highly transmissible virus of concern.
“Moderna will speed up on developing a specific booster shot for the new Omicron variant,” the US company said in a statement.
This move is part of the company’s strategy to work on specific booster shots for variants of concern. “In 2020-2021, Moderna has already developed booster shots for the Delta and Beta variants,” said the laboratory, adding it “was able to get the approval after a stage of clinical trials that lasted from 60 to 90 days.”
The Omicron variant has 32 mutations in the spike protein, and it spreads faster than other variants.
According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), 22 cases have been reported so far in South Africa.
In Europe, Belgium has also detected the first case. One case was reported in Hong Kong in a traveler returning from South Africa, and one in Israel in a traveler returning from Malawi.
Many countries have begun banning access for travelers coming from Southern African countries, including Morocco in order to avoid the surge of this new variant as well as curb the spread of a new wave of the pandemic.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.