Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine protects against worrisome emerging variants of the coronavirus, but it’s taking the precaution of testing a possible booster dose against the strain discovered in South Africa. Vaccine manufacturers have been testing their shots against mutated strains, including two that first emerged in Britain and South Africa. The vaccine was effective against both variants, but researchers found a sixfold drop in levels of “neutralizing antibodies” against the strain from South Africa. Moderna said while the levels still were protective, it has begun developing a booster vaccine targeted to that new strain, called the B.1.351 variant. But other research has raised questions about the variant from South Africa.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 25, 2021 17:26 UTC