Moderna says Omicron COVID-19 vaccine could be ready by early 2022

Moderna could have a new vaccine to tackle the Omicron variant in 2022. With mRNA vaccines the pharmaceutical company can move very fast, says its chief medical officer.

Moderna said a new vaccine to tackle the Omicron COVID-19 variant could be ready by early 2022.

Moderna’s chief medical officer, Dr. Paul Burton, said in an interview on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that for a “brand new vaccine, I think that’s going to be early 2022 before that’s really going to available in large quantities.”

“The remarkable thing about the mRNA vaccines, Moderna platform is we can move very fast,” he said.

Burton said Moderna should know whether the current COVID-19 vaccine can provide protection against Omicron in the “next couple weeks,” but said it is his suspicion that Omicron may escape that protection given the 30 mutations of the variant — nine of which are known to be “associated with immune escape.”

“You bring those together I think this is a very concerning virus.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named Omicron a “variant of concern,” stating it is potentially more contagious than other variants, though it is not yet known if it causes more or less severe COVID-19.

Countries have begun to enact travel restrictions to limit the variant’s spread, including Canada, which has placed a travel ban on several south African countries.

Omicron must be assessed for its impact on older populations and those with pre-existing conditions, said Burton, adding that until then “we really will not get a handle on exactly how severe the disease could be.”