Moderna announces vaccine upgrades to protect against emerging variants

[BUtterfield 8 22,092]

Moderna is tweaking its coronavirus vaccine to make it more effective against emerging variants of the virus.

The upgrades will be designed to better protect against the different strains and could be used as a booster shot. The announcement comes as scientists around the world scramble to get ahead of a constantly mutating virus that has already killed more than 2 million people worldwide.

“As we seek to defeat the Covid-19 virus, which has created a worldwide pandemic, we believe it is imperative to be proactive as the virus evolves,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

Moderna said its existing vaccine is effective against a more contagious variant that is thought to have emerged in the United Kingdom. But the vaccine was less protective against a strain that was first reported in South Africa. An early study found that with the South African variant, the level of antibodies produced from the vaccine diminished sixfold, according to the company.

Despite the observed drop, Moderna said neutralizing antibodies — which can bind to viruses and block them from getting into cells — remained above protective levels for both. Still, it is “unknowable what will happen in six months, in 12 months,” Bancel said Monday on CNBC.

Bancel said the vaccine upgrades are being developed “out of an abundance of caution,” but added that the reduced antibody levels seen with the South African variant may suggest that protection against this and future variants could wane.

"Immunity may go down over time," he said.

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[Chromatislaps 32,293]

why did I read this as Madonna announces ?

[TimisaMonster 27,186]

Just now, Chromatislaps said:

why did I read this as Madonna announces ?

Me too 

[LGHunter 1,094]

Madonna, the real queen and saviour of the world

[KanyeWest 17,685]

woohoooooo

[JK Rowling 2,172]

Just wait till Pfizer upgrades theirs

Edited January 26 by JK Rowling

[TimisaMonster 27,186]

1 hour ago, JK Rowling said:

Just wait till Pfizer upgrades theirs

I read this as Perez

[Killa 11,649]

1 hour ago, JK Rowling said:

Just wait till Pfizer upgrades theirs

Reductive

[shoful 12,621]

When will they send these out? Should we wait on getting vaccinated?

[RAMROD 63,116]

   do we need to be revaxxed then?