Race against time to tweak vaccines against Covid variant

November 28, 2021

AdvertisementScientists are racing to tweak existing vaccines against the new Covid variant spreading rapidly across the planet. Now a number of pharmaceutical firms have said they are working to adapt their vaccines to beat Omicron. This strategy includes three levels of response should the currently authorized 50 microgram booster dose of mRNA-1273 prove insufficient to boost waning immunity against the Omicron variant.' Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, expressed cautious optimism that existing vaccines could be effective at preventing serious disease from the Omicron variant. But a more detailed analysis will get under way early next week using samples of the virus flown to Britain from South Africa in secure canisters.