Moderna said Monday that it was confident that the booster shot was effective against the Omicron variant.
Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said on a conference call that they would be able to rely on the vaccine to address the surge of Omicron cases.
After only two doses, the protection against Omicron was lower than against the initial strain of COVID.
The results show that a full dose of Moderna's vaccine as a booster shot provides more protection against Omicron than a half-strength injection.
40 people who had low levels of Omicron-neutralizing antibodies in their blood were measured in the lab study.
The Moderna jab should be given as a first and second dose, followed by a 50-microgram booster.
Booster participants who got the third jabs had their antibodies measured 29 days later.
The data shows that the response to Omicron increased when the dose was doubled.
Stephane Bancel said the results were "reassuring" and that the company continued to develop an Omicron-specific jab.
We are cautiously optimistic that the authorized booster dose of 50 micrograms should provide good protection against the Omicron variant.
There will be a need for seasonal boosting in the future.
The trials for the vaccine are likely to start in early 2022. Moderna is planning a vaccine that tackles several worrisome variants at the same time.
Experts say real-world evidence is needed to determine protection against transmission and illness.
The data from South Africa showed that the two shots of the same jab from Pfizer/BioNTech offered around 70 percent protection against Omicron.
In an interview with Le Monde, the CEO of BioNTech said that after a third injection the jab seemed to provide between 70 and 75 percent protection against any form of the illness.
He said that his company should be able to offer the vaccine in March.
Agence France-Presse.
