Moderna
The biotech said that its authorized booster dose of 50 microgram "increased neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron approximately 37-fold compared to pre-boost levels". Moreover, the company highlighted that a higher 100 microgram dose--which Moderna is currently not authorized for--increased neutralizing antibody levels by "approximately 83-fold".
Moderna found that the 100 microgram booster shot was also "generally safe and well tolerated," but noted that there was a trend toward "slightly more frequent adverse reactions" compared to the authorized 50 microgram dose.
Moderna's vaccine has been linked to a rare, but serious heart condition called myocarditis in young men. The company maintains that the protection alloted by the vaccine against severe disease, hospitalization and death outweighs the rare risk of myocarditis.
The data from the preliminary results has yet to be peer reviewed.
Chief Executive Stephane Bancel said that Moderna is developing an Omicron-specific booster candidate in response to the highly transmissible variant. Bancel said in a press statement that the company will "continue to generate and share data across our booster strategies with public health authorities to help them make evidence-based decisions on the best vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2". The company plans to begin clinical trials for that candidate in early 2022.
Over the weekend, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in an update that Omicron cases are doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with community transmission. The global health agency said that while the variant is spreading rapidly in countries with high vaccination levels, it is still unclear whether this is due to Omicron being able to evade immunity, the variant's increased transmissibility, or a combination of both.
"There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron," the WHO said in an update published Saturday. "More data are needed to understand the severity profile and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity."
In New York City, which is becoming the United States' epicenter for Omicron cases, Major Bill de Blasio said Monday that the city is currently experiencing a rapid surge of Omicron infections, with this wave expected to peak in a matter of weeks.
New York City is currently reporting a seven-day new infections average of more than 9,400 cases per day as of Saturday, according to data compiled by the city's health department, up from about 3,200 recorded the previous week.
