Moderna’s new Covid-19 vaccine found to be more effective than others, against Omicron and other variants
Moderna Inc. the pharma giant has announced that its newer and updated vaccine has been showing better and long-lasting shield against Omicron and other variants, than any other covid vaccine currently in the market. Moderna further added that the newly designed vaccine contains nine mutations that are found in beta Covid-19 variant.
A 50 mg dose have doubled the number of antibodies, effectively blocking the virus that infected the human cells, against omicron, six months post dosage.
The company is also developing another vaccine which contains Wuhan strain and 32 mutations present in the omicron Covid variant. The FDA has been debating whether the U.S. needs updated version of Covid vaccines especially when another wave is expected in the coming fall.
The present vaccines were developed so they can identify spike protein, the virus uses these spike proteins to attack human cells, in the Wuhan strain. But when a greater number of spike protein get evolved, the antibodies which are produced by the vaccine are less likely to identify and fight the virus, hence reducing the efficacy of the vaccines. Both doses of the first vaccines are still able to prevent hospitalization. Although its effectiveness against serious sickness has significantly dropped. Third dosage of the current vaccine also has reportedly boosted protection against infections as well as hospitalization.
Side effects were observed after the injection of the updated 50 mg vaccine, like muscle ache, headache and fatigue, as per the data.
The trial involved 895 people, they received one booster dose of 50mg or 100 mg power of the updated dose. Average age was 50 years and 56% of them were female. Among the 50 mg receivers, majority were white, followed by 13% Hispanics and 6% of Blacks.
Moderna CEO Bancel stated that the shot is the company’s leading candidate for the coming fall booster in the North Hemisphere including Europe and the U.S. The company expects data on the shot in the Q2 of the year 2022.
Although this study hasn’t been reviewed by outside scientists as of yet and unlike a clinical trial, the work was done in a lab. Some scientists noted that although the data looks promising but it doesn’t tell us about real world efficacy.
