26 Jan
US drug company Moderna says it believes its coronavirus vaccine can protect against variants that were first identified in Britain and South Africa.
The company on Monday announced the results of a study that used blood samples from eight vaccine recipients and from some immunized "non-human primates." It said the vaccine was effective against the coronavirus strains discovered in both Britain and South Africa.
However, in the face of the South African variant, neutralizing antibodies created by the vaccine dropped to about a sixth of levels seen with previous strains.
Moderna said that while those levels still offer protection, it plans to test whether a booster shot could make the vaccine more effective against the South African variant.
It is also planning a clinical study of a new vaccine candidate against the strain.
NHK
