. As the new coronavirus variant spreads around the world, vaccine manufacturers are beginning to research and test new vaccine refresher variants.
Following the discovery of a new coronavirus mutation in South Africa, several countries have suspended air traffic to prevent its spread. Both BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna are currently conducting research to find out how well vaccines for the new mutation work and if any corrections should be made.
New vaccine-resistant mutation?
It is not yet known how dangerous this variant really is, but the particularly high number of mutations is causing experts around the world to sound the alarm. The mutation could mean that the virus could potentially be resistant to the current vaccines intended to provide protection.
The World Health Organization said on Monday that Omikron poses a very high global threat and is likely to spread worldwide and lead to serious consequences in some regions. They believe preliminary research suggests it may increase the risk of reinfection compared to other strains of the virus.
One of the key questions is how well current vaccines work against the new variant of the coronavirus.
BioNTech-Pfizer react to the Omikorn variant, waiting for a response to laboratory tests
BioNTech-Pfizer says they expect more data from lab samples in two weeks' time. A BioNTech spokesman says to one of the German newspapers:
- We can understand the concerns of experts, so we immediately started researching a new variant. It differs significantly from the variants observed so far as it has several mutations in the spike protein. The results of the laboratory tests will tell us if B. 1.1.529 (Omicron) may be a resistant variant that will require adaptation of our vaccine.
If it turns out that the BioNTech vaccine is no longer sufficiently effective against the new variant, it should be adapted. BioNTech-Pfizer has prepared itself to be able to adapt the mRNA vaccine for the new variant. The company says it could deliver the first updated vaccines within 100 days.
To this end, the company began clinical trials with variant (alpha and delta) -specific vaccines to collect safety and tolerability data that could be presented to authorities as sample data in the event of adaptation.
Moderna responds to the Omikorn variant, testing several alternatives to combat the new mutation
Moderna says they are working on finding different variants of a refresher vaccine that would be adapted to the new virus variant. Drug company Moderna said in a press release on Friday that it is testing several alternatives to find a suitable variant for the new variant should vaccines prove ineffective.
Moderna's strategy includes a refreshing dose specific to the new variant. They are currently investigating two different refresh rates designed to predict mutations similar to the Omikron variant.
Moderna has also started testing a double refreshing dose, ranging from 50 to 100 micrograms per healthy adult. In a press release, Stéphane Bankel, Moderna's CEO, says:
- Mutations in the Omikron variant are disturbing. For several days we have been intensively striving to implement our strategy of combating this variant.
The company says it plans to make rapid progress with an Omikron-specific refresher dose, and that it will be able to clinically test new vaccines over a period of 60 to 90 days. This is being tested as part of the company's strategy to promote several variants of the vaccine specific for virus variants, including beta and delta specific refresher doses.
Also read our other article: Mobile vaccinations in Oslo
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Source: vg.no
