Pfizer: New COVID Vaccine To Combat Variants Could Be Ready in 100 Days

Pfizer: New COVID Vaccine to Combat Variants Could Be Ready in 100 Days

Pfizer announced that “in the event that a vaccine-escape variant emerges,” such as the new omicron variant, a new vaccine could be ready in the next 100 days, Mediaite reported.

The B.1.1.529 coronavirus variant, also dubbed omicron, has officials at the World Health Organization concerned about the mutations in its spike protein. This may be indicative that omicron is resistant to the current strain of vaccines.

“As always, we will continue to follow the science as we examine the best approaches to protecting people against COVID-19,” Pfizer said, according Fox News. “In the event that vaccine-escape variant emerges, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to be able to develop and produce a tailor-made vaccine against that variant in approximately 100 days, subject to regulatory approval.”

According to Reuters, Moderna said on Friday that it would be “working to advance a booster candidate tailored to the new variant and has also been testing a higher dose of its existing booster and to study other booster candidates designed to protect against multiple variants.”