Daily Mail
Covid jab maker Moderna claims its new Omicron-specific vaccine could be a ‘turning point’ in the pandemic.
A study of the new jab on 800 people found it boosted antibody levels against the Omicron variant eight-fold.
But it did not elicit as many antibodies against the BA.4 and BA.5, which are dominant in the UK, suggesting the jab is already getting weaker.
The improvement over its existing jab raises hopes that it will provide longer lasting protection, and remove the need for repeated boosters so often.
The results come as the NHS urges hundreds of thousands of eligible Brits to get a fourth dose amid a surge in Covid cases fuelled by the two sub-strains.
Moderna’s new jab was developed to target Omicron as well as the Wuhan strain, compared to current jabs which only contain the genetic code of the original virus.
The company’s chief medical officer, Dr Paul Burton, said: ‘We think this is a strong, powerful antibody response, it is probably long lasting.’
Several offshoots of Omicron have spawned since the highly infectious parent strain became world-dominant late last year.
Experts believe it is unlikely that an entire new variant will replace the dominant family of strains anytime soon.
Many expect the pandemic to settle into a pattern which sees new Omicron subvariants emerge every so often.
The latest trial – which has not been peer-reviewed yet – found that a booster of the new jab increased antibodies 5.4-fold compared to the older vaccine.
Stephen Hoge, Moderna president, said the higher level of protection compared with the company’s existing vaccine justified switching to the new shot.
The two subvariants are believed to be fuelling the UK’s recent surge in cases as they are even more transmissible than the Omicron strain responsible for cases soaring to over Christmas, and the BA.2 variant that sent infections to record highs in spring…
