News at a glance

ABSTRACT

The United Kingdom this week became the first country to approve an updated COVID-19 booster directed at two different strains of the coronavirus. The "bivalent" booster, made by Moderna, will have the same dose of messenger RNA as the company's prior boosters but will target both the original version of the coronavirus and the first Omicron variant, BA.1, which emerged in late 2021. Clinical trials and other research by Moderna suggest its retooled booster generates a stronger immune response against BA.1 and other versions of Omicron now in circulation than its existing vaccine, introduced in December 2020. The new shot will be available in the fall. A similar booster is expected in the United States, although in June the Food and Drug Administration asked Moderna and a second manufacturer, Pfizer, to include the spike protein component for more recent versions of Omicron, BA.4 and BA.5, rather than BA.1. Copyright © 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.