Moderna clarified that its new vaccine, tested on humans, triggered an immune response against the two variants currently circulating most across the Atlantic.
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On Monday, September 11, American health authorities authorized an updated version of the anti-Covid 19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, more adapted to the variants currently in circulation. The two companies said their new version of the vaccine would be available in the coming days for a booster campaign, as the number of Covid-19 hospitalizations is on the rise in the United States.
This new version was developed from the XBB.1.5 variant and must “provide good protection against the Covid-19 variants currently in circulation”, the United States Medicines Agency (FDA) said in a statement. The two variants currently circulating the most in the United States are EG.5 and FL.1.5.1. In a statement, Moderna said its new vaccine, tested on humans, had indeed triggered an immune response against these two variants.
An annual vaccination campaign
If the FDA has authorized the new versions of the vaccine from the age of 6 months, another federal health agency, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), must hold a meeting on Tuesday to clarify for which populations a booster dose is recommended.
The United States wants to carry out an annual vaccination campaign against Covid-19, like that against influenza, with a suitable vaccine each time. But the success of the new formula is uncertain: the previous booster dose was only taken by 17% of the American population.