莫德納表示可能會在 2022 年初之前發布針對 Omicron 變體的改良 COVID-19 疫苗

Yahoo News on-line reported the following:

Moderna says it might release a modified COVID-19 vaccine for the Omicron variant by early 2022

Business Insider - Yelena Dzhanova

Sun., November 28, 2021, 6:19 a.m.

Moderna said it might release an updated COVID-19 vaccine to combat the new Omicron variant by early 2022.

"We should know about the ability of the current vaccine to provide protection in the next couple of weeks," Chief Medical Officer Paul Burton said Sunday on the BBC's "Andrew Marr Show."

"If we have to make a brand new vaccine, I think that's going to be early 2022 before that's really going to be available in large quantities," Burton continued.

News of an updated vaccine comes as scientists and health officials warn the Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa, could spread easily across the world. It has already spread to several other countries, including Israel and Belgium, prompting a spate of travel restrictions across Europe, Asia, and North America, Insider's Aria Bendix reported. A health official said on Saturday that two cases of the variant have been detected in the UK. And Dr. Anthony Fauci, the topmost coronavirus virologist in the US, said it's likely to have already touched down here.

The variant itself has multiple mutations that might make it easier for it to evade antibodies that developed in the body after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The mutations might also cause the variant to spread easily — even among vaccinated people.

The World Health Organization has labeled Omicron a "variant of concern," a distinction given to the most threatening coronavirus variants. Delta, the variant that surged all throughout the summer in the US, was the last one to receive the label.

It's not clear yet whether existing COVID-19 vaccines will protect against the variant. But vaccine manufacturers have already begun considering their options.

Moderna said in a Friday news release that the company is testing its current vaccine against the Omicron variant.

"Since early 2021, Moderna has advanced a comprehensive strategy to anticipate new variants of concern," the company said. "The company has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to advance new candidates to clinical testing in 60 to 90 days."

Pfizer said it will be able to manufacture and distribute an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days if Omicron is found to be resistant to its current vaccine. The company said it expects to know within two weeks whether the variant is resistant to its current vaccine, a company spokesperson told Reuters.

"Pfizer and BioNTech have taken actions months ago to be able to adapt the mRNA vaccine within six weeks and ship initial batches within 100 days in the event of an escape variant," the company said in a statement.

Johnson & Johnson has begun testing the effectiveness of its vaccine against the Omicron variant.

Translation

莫德納 (Moderna) 表示，它可能會在 2022 年初發布更新的 COVID-19 疫苗，以對抗新的 Omicron 變體。

首席醫療官Paul Burton週日在 BBC 的“安德魯馬爾秀(Andrew Marr Show)”中說 :“ 在未來幾週內, 我們就能了解當前疫苗可提供的保護能力” 。

Burton繼續說: “如果我們必須製造一種全新的疫苗，我認為要到 2022 年初才能真正大量可用” 。

當科學家和衛生官員警告說，首次在南非發現的 Omicron 變種可能很容易在世界範圍內傳播，有關更新疫苗的消息就傳來。據 Insider 的 Aria Bendix 報導，變種已經蔓延到其他幾個國家，包括以色列和比利時，導致歐洲、亞洲和北美的一連串旅行限制。一名衛生官員周六表示，在英國已發現兩個該變種病例。美國最頂級的冠狀病毒病毒學家Anthony Fauci博士說，它很可能已經在美國落腳。

該變體本身俱有多個突變，可能使其更容易逃避已接受 COVID-19 疫苗後, 在體內產生出的抗體。突變還可能導致該變體更容易傳播 - 即使在接種疫苗的人群中也會如此。

世界衛生組織已將 Omicron 標記為“要關注的變種”，這是對最具威脅性的冠狀病毒變種的一種區分。 Delta 是整個夏季在美國飆升的變體，是最新近一個獲得該標籤的變體。

目前尚不清楚現有的 COVID-19 疫苗是否能預防該變種。但疫苗製造商已經開始考慮他們的選擇。

莫德納 在周五的新聞發布會上表示，該公司正在測試其目前的疫苗, 去針對 Omicron 變體。

該公司表示：“自 2021 年初以來, 莫德納提出了一項綜合戰略，以預測新的要關注變體” ; “該公司一再證明有能力在 60 到 90 天內將候選新疫苗推進到臨床測試” 。

輝瑞 (Pfizer)表示，如果發現 Omicron 對當前的疫苗有抗藥性，它將能夠在 100 天內製造和分發其 COVID-19 疫苗的更新版本。該公司發言人告訴路透社，該公司表示預計將在兩週內知道該變種是否對當前的疫苗具有抗藥性。

該公司在一份聲明中表示：“輝瑞和 BioNTech 幾個月前就採取了行動，使能夠在六週內調整 mRNA 疫苗，並在發生逃逸變體的情況下在 100 天內送出首批疫苗。”

強生公司 (Johnson & Johnson) 已就其疫苗針對 Omicron 變體的有效性開始測試。

              So, Moderna may release an updated COVID-19 vaccine to combat the new Omicron variant by early 2022 if needed. Pfizer will be able to manufacture and distribute an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days if Omicron is found to be resistant to its current vaccine. Meanwhile Johnson & Johnson has begun testing the effectiveness of its vaccine against the Omicron variant.