Moderna working on a booster shot for South African variant of COVID-19

Massachusetts-based biotech company Moderna will soon start testing a booster shot intended to offer further protection against the South African variant of COVID-19. In an announcement today, Moderna stated that their coronavirus vaccine, which has been approved for emergency use in Canada and has been administered across the country, is “likely” effective against both the U.K. and South African strains of the virus, but lab testing has shown that it creates fewer antibodies against the latter variant. The Moderna vaccine — which, like its Pfizer BioNTech counterpart requires two doses, meaning the forthcoming booster shot would be a third dose — has been shown to be 94% effective against COVID-19.

We also announced that out of an abundance of caution, we are launching a clinical program to boost immunity to emerging variants. Learn more: https://t.co/UCCvX0PrKV

— Moderna (@moderna_tx) January 25, 2021

---

For the latest news updates, please visit the News section.