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Moderna to release booster to protect against Omicron subvariant

Posted at 5:10 AM, Jun 23, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-23 08:49:34-04

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A year and a half after Moderna released its COVID-19 vaccine, the company is now gearing up to roll out another new and improved version.

Moderna said the new vaccine offers protection against the Omicron variant and is expected to act as a super booster protecting people from the original Covid strain and omicron.

Experts believe it's going to play a big role in protecting more people from future Covid outbreaks. They're predicting possible spikes this fall and winter, similar to what we saw in January because more people will be spending time indoors and are more vulnerable to catching infections.

While Moderna is hoping to have this ready by August, the company said it could be delayed until September or October.

The booster is unlike anything Moderna has released before. Company officials said the protection is so strong that it could potentially last a year, which would mean people might only need annual Covid boosters from now on.

Pfizer is also testing a booster that targets the omicron variant.