Moderna starts trial of an omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The first participant in a clinical trial was given the vaccine by Moderna. Pfizer / BioNTech launched a trial of its shot targeting the fast-spreading variant a few days ago.

The announcement coincides with the release of data showing that the two-dose series of Moderna's original vaccine struggled to block the omicron variant of the virus. A booster shot restored a lot of the protection against the virus, and it stayed around for at least six months.

The company plans to move forward with the variant booster despite the fact that the omicron variant is enough of a threat.

One group of people who received a two-dose series of the original vaccine only and another group of people who had a two-dose series and booster of the original vaccine are being tested. There will be around 300 people in each group.

Moderna could have data on the omicron booster by March, according to Bancel.