Efficacy Of COVID-19 Vaccines Could Be Lower For Omicron, Moderna Chief Says
Faizan Hashmi Published December 06, 2021 | 06:30 AM
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2021) Moderna Inc. President Stephen Hoge warns that coronavirus vaccines could be less effective against the new strain, Omicron.
"Are we going to see something more like a 50% decrease in efficacy, which would really mean we'd probably need to reboot the vaccines and update them?" Hoge said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, adding that "the short answer is we don't have data yet to know for sure."
Hoge said that it could also be that the existing vaccines will prove effective against Omicron, like it happened with the Delta variant. He expressed hope that the pandemic could actually end in 2022.
Nonetheless, "there's a real risk that we're going to see a decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccines," the Moderna chief said.
The Omicron coronavirus strain has been registered in at least 15 US states, according to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Walensky said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that while the Delta variant continues to account for most of the COVID-19 cases in the US, the Omicron strain continues to spread.
The first case of the Omicron strain, which emerged in South Africa in November, was reported in the US on December 1.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has said that the Omicron variant is a cause for concern but not for alarm. According to White House COVID-19 experts, the US is in a better position to deal with the Omicron strain than with previous variants of the coronavirus.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Tennis: ATP Barcelona Open results - 1st update
Swiatek's perfect 10 in Stuttgart as Vondrousova stuns Sabalenka
Arandu's roads closed due to flooding
Oil tanker catches fire in Islamabad’s Blue Area
Pakistan committed to ensure safety of foreign nationals: FO
Tennis: WTA Stuttgart results - 1st update
Four passengers injured as train hit an empty vehicle
Over- speeding bus crushed to death two bike riders
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
UAF celebrates Int'l Chinese Language Day
More Stories From World
-
Togo lawmakers approve contested political reform
5 hours ago -
NATO must choose 'whether we indeed are allies': Zelensky
5 hours ago -
US House to vote on Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan aid package
5 hours ago -
Calls for calm after reported Israeli strike on Iran
6 hours ago -
IMF calls on EU to deepen single market integration to boost growth
6 hours ago -
Second Ecuadoran mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
6 hours ago
-
Oil, gas drilling blocked in Alaska wilds as Biden seeks green cred
6 hours ago -
Man sets self on fire outside Trump trial
6 hours ago -
Turkey's Freedom Flotilla ready to set sail for Gaza
8 hours ago -
French teen dies from heart failure after knife attack near school
8 hours ago -
Iranians appear unfazed by Isfahan blasts
8 hours ago -
Ecuador mayor killed ahead of anti-crime referendum: police
8 hours ago