September 6, 2023 – Moderna says its upcoming COVID-19 vaccine should work against the BA.2.86 variant that has sparked concerns a few possible surge in cases.
“The company said its vaccination produced an 8.7-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against BA.2.86 in humans, which is being tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). .” Reuters reported.
“We think this is news that people want to hear as they get ready to go out and get their fall boosters,” Jacqueline Miller, head of infectious diseases at Moderna, told the news outlet.
The CDC said the BA.2.86 variant could also be more prone to infect individuals who have already had COVID or previous vaccinations. BA.2.86 is an Omicron variant. It has undergone more mutations than XBB.1.5, which dominated most of this yr and was the intended goal of the updated shots.
BA.2.86 shouldn't be yet widely represented within the United States. However, authorities are concerned concerning the high variety of mutations. NBC News reported.
The FDA is predicted to approve the brand new Moderna vaccine in early October.
Pfizer told NBC that its updated booster also produced a powerful antibody response against Omicron variants, including BA.2.86.
In the United States, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have increased because of the rise of multiple variants.
Experts told Reuters that BA.2.86 was unlikely to trigger a wave of severe illness and deaths because immunity had been built world wide through previous infections and mass vaccinations.