Health

UK approves first vaccine to target original, Omicron Covid variants

London, Aug 15 (EFE).- The United Kingdom on Monday approved the first bivalent Covid-19 booster vaccine which targets both the original 2020 virus and the new Omicron variant.

The Moderna vaccine will be rolled out across the country for adults to get boostered in the fall, although the number of available doses is still unknown, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reported.

“I am pleased to announce the approval of the Moderna bivalent booster vaccine, which was found in the clinical trial to provide a strong immune response against the Omicron BA.1 variant as well as the original 2020 strain,” June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive, said.

The report explained that half of each booster shot of the ‘Spikevax bivalent Original/Omicron’ vaccine targeted the original virus strain from 2020 and the other half targeted Omicron.

“The virus, SARS-CoV-2, is continually evolving in order to evade the immunity provided by vaccines,” Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of the Commission on Human Medicines, said.

“This novel bivalent vaccine represents the next step in the development of vaccines to combat the virus, with its ability to lead to a broader immune response than the original vaccine,” the expert added. EFE

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