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On Tuesday, Moderna announced that its new modifiedCOVID-19booster shot provided strong protection against multiple variants of the virus — including omicron.
The new single shot is designed to target two strains of the coronavirus using a combination of a beta variant-specific vaccine and the company’s original formula,NBC Newsreported.
The company said the modified booster candidate, called a bivalent vaccine, appeared to induce higher antibody responses than the company’s existing booster.
The modified booster shots — which are still being tested — could be distributed across the country as early as this fall, NBC reported.
“Moderna is developing updated booster candidates to address the continued evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including monovalent and bivalent candidates targeting multiple variants of concern,” said a companystatement.
The data hasn’t been peer reviewed yet, per NBC.
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The announcement comes in the wake ofsweeping decisionsacross the country to reduce the enforcement of mask mandates in various public spaces.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced this week that it will no longer enforce the CDC’smask mandatefor travel after a federal judge in Florida struck down the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) directive.
Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech said a booster shot of theircoronavirus vaccinehas been shown to significantly increase the levels of Omicron-fighting antibodies in children ages 5 to 11.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.
source: people.com
