[ad_1]
November 30, 2021 – The CEO of Moderna says that existing vaccines against COVID-19 are likely to be less effective against the new version of Omicron.
“I do not think there is a world anywhere [the effectiveness] is the same level … we had with Delta, ”Stefan Bansel told Financial Times.
“I think it will be a material decline,” he said. “I just don’t know how much, because we have to wait for the data. But all the scientists I’ve talked to are like, “This isn’t going to be good.”
Vaccine companies are now investigating whether the new version of Omicron can avoid current vaccines. Some data are expected in about 2 weeks.
Bansel said that if a new vaccine is needed, it could take several months to produce on a large scale. He estimated that Moderna could make billions of doses of vaccine in 2022.
“[Moderna] and Pfizer can’t get a billion doses next week. “Mathematics doesn’t work,” he said. “But can we get a billion doses by the summer?” I’m sure. “
The news caused some panic on Tuesday, causing financial markets to fall sharply, according to Reuters. But markets have recovered as European representatives have given a more reassuring outlook.
“Even if the new option becomes more widespread, the vaccines we have will continue to provide protection,” Emery Cook, executive director of the European Medicines Agency, told the European Parliament.
Cook said the agency could approve new vaccines that target the Omicron option within 3 to 4 months if needed. Moderna and Pfizer have announced that they will start creating a measure to deal with the Omicron option in case the data show that it is necessary.
Also Tuesday, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control announced that 42 cases of Omicron had been identified in 10 European Union countries, according to Reuters.
The cases are mild or asymptomatic, although they are found in younger people who may have mild or no symptoms anyway.
“For the assessment of whether [Omicron] avoids immunity, we still have to wait until research in laboratories with [blood samples] from people who have recovered have been committed, ”said Andrea Amon, PhD, chairman of the agency, during an online conference.
The University of Oxford, which developed a vaccine against COVID-19 with AstraZeneca, said on Tuesday that there was no evidence that the vaccines would not prevent severe Omicron disease, according to Reuters.
“Despite the emergence of new variants in the last year, vaccines continue to provide very high levels of protection against serious diseases, and so far there is no evidence that Omicron is different,” the university said in a statement. “However, we have the necessary tools and processes to rapidly develop an updated vaccine against COVID-19, if necessary.
[ad_2]
Source link