Vaccine against Covid: the UK is the first country to approve immunization against the omicron variant | Vaccines

An updated vaccine will provide better protection against the latest versions of the new coronavirus. Manufacturer Moderna said it may start providing doses in the coming weeks.

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Health officials stress that people should take any boosters, as all vaccines provide protection.

The original vaccines used in the pandemic were designed to train the body to fight the first form of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019.

Since then, the novel coronavirus has mutated dramatically, with an influx of new variants that could evade some of our immune defenses. They have caused massive outbreaks of disease all over the world.

Moderna’s vaccine targets both the original strain and the first omicron variant (BA.1). It is known as the bivalent vaccine, because it is intended to fight two forms of coronavirus.

The United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has evaluated the tests and approved the vaccine for use in adults.

“First-generation vaccines against Covid-19 continue to provide important protection against disease and save lives. What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharp tool in our arsenal to help us protect ourselves from disease as the virus continues to evolve,” said John Ren, executive director of the regulatory agency.

The results of tests conducted on 437 people showed that the updated vaccine is safe and gives better immune protection against the newer variants.

Levels of antibodies that were able to bind to and deactivate the omicron (BA.1) were higher in people who received the new vaccine. Tests against newer omicron variants (BA.4 and BA.5) have also been shown to have higher levels of protection with the updated vaccine.

However, it is uncertain what we will face in the coming months and how the updated vaccine will perform.

Stefan Bancel, CEO of Moderna, said he was “delighted” with the vaccine’s approval.

He said: “This represents the first authorization for a bivalent Omicron-containing vaccine. This bivalent vaccine plays an important role in protecting people in the UK from Covid-19 as the winter months enter.”

In the UK, health and social care workers will get some boosts; persons aged 50 years or over; caregivers over 16 years of age; People over 5 years old whose health puts them at greater risk (this includes pregnant women, people over 5 years old who share a home with someone with a weakened immune system.

Originally, people between the ages of 50 and 65 would not be vaccinated. However, the immunization campaign has been expanded due to the rapid spread of variants, uncertainty over whether the virus will mutate, and the expectation that we will be more social this winter than in previous years – giving the virus a greater chance of spreading.

Moderna isn’t the only company updating its vaccines. Pfizer is also developing anti-micron immunizations.