News of a recently updated COVID-19 vaccine comes as Scientists and health officials warn that the new Omicron strain detected initially in South Africa could transmit easily across the globe.
In connection to this, according to a ScienceAlert report, Moderna announced it might come out with an updated COVID-19 vaccine in the fight against the newly identified variant by early 2022.
Paul Burton, the firm's Chief Medical Officer, said there is a need to know about the ability of the current vaccine to protect the next couple of weeks.
He added if there is a need to develop a "brand new vaccine," he thinks it's going to be early next year before "that's really going to be available in large quantities.
Labeled as a 'Variant of Concern' by the WHO
To date, the Omicron has already spread to various countries, including Israel and Belgium, provoking a flood of travel restrictions Across North America, Europe, and Asia, reported Insider, where the report on vaccine manufacturers testing their COVID-19 vaccine against the new variant, first came out.
On Saturday, a health official said two variant cases have been identified in the United Kingdom, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the topmost coronavirus virologist in the United States, said it is possible to "have already touched down there."
Omicron itself has multiple mutations that might make it easier to escape antibodies that developed in the body after being injected with a COVID-19 vaccine. Such mutations might also result in the variant quickly spreading, even among those who have been vaccinated.
This new COVID-19 variant has been labeled by the World Health Organization as a "variant of concern," a distinction given to the most threatening COVID-19 strains. In addition, Delta, the variant that surged all throughout the summer in the US, was the latest to get that label.
Efficacy of the Existing COVID-19 Vaccines Against Omicron
It remains unclear if the existing COVID-19 vaccines are an effective shield from the new Omicron variant. However, vaccine makers have already started to consider their options.
As earlier mentioned, Moderna has already announced in a news release that the firm is currently testing its current COVID-19 vaccine against the Omicron variant.
Since early last year, the company said Moderna has advanced a comprehensive strategy to anticipate new and upcoming "variants of concern."
In the statement, the company also stated it has repeatedly demonstrated the "ability to advance new candidates to clinical testing" within 60 to 90 days.
Other Vaccine Makers Also Working to Combat the New Variant
Pfizer had announced that it would manufacture and distribute an updated version of its vaccine against COVID-19 within 100 days if Omicron is found to be resistant to its existing vaccine.
In a Reuters report, a spokesperson from the pharmaceutical firm said it is expecting to know within two weeks if the new COVID-19 variant is resistant to its current vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech have taken initiatives months back to be able to adjust the mRNA vaccine within six weeks and ship first bathes within 100 days "in the event of an escape variant," the firm said in a statement.
Meanwhile, another COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, has started a trial of the efficacy of its current vaccine against the Omicron strain.
Information about the vaccines being tested against the Omicron variant is reported on CNBC Television's YouTube video below:
Read also: COVID-19 Delta Variant: More Dangerous New Mutations Possible, Unvaccinated People at Risk
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