Magical Trade
Monday, June 27, 2022
  • Home
  • Trade News
  • Email Whitelisting
  • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Trade News
  • Email Whitelisting
  • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Magical Trade
No Result
View All Result
Home Trade News

Vaccine makers move quickly against new omicron Covid variant, testing already under way

by
November 26, 2021
in Trade News
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

RELATED POSTS

Fund manager names one trend that will ‘affect all industries’ — and reveals how he’s trading it

These global stocks look oversold — and analysts are expecting a rebound

A vial of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Getty Images

The world’s major manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines said Friday that they are working to quickly investigate and adapt their shots to a new and highly mutated strain of the virus.

The World Health Organization on Friday said the new strain, named omicron, is a “variant of concern” that may pose a higher risk of reinfection than past mutations of the virus.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they are investigating omicron, first labeled B.1.1.529, and can adapt their vaccine quickly if needed.

“We understand the concern of experts and have immediately initiated investigations on variant B.1.1.529,” the companies said.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they expect more data from lab tests in two weeks at the latest.

“These data will provide more information about whether B.1.1.529 could be an escape variant that may require an adjustment of our vaccine if the variant spreads globally,” the companies said.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they can adapt their mRNA vaccine within six weeks and start shipping batches within 100 days if an escape variant is identified.

Johnson & Johnson on Friday said they were already testing their vaccine against omicron.

“We are closely monitoring newly emerging COVID-19 virus strains with variations in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and are already testing the effectiveness of our vaccine against the new and rapidly spreading variant first detected in southern Africa,” J&J said.

AstraZeneca said it is also investigating the variant. Its vaccine platform developed with Oxford University enables a quick response to new mutations as they emerge, the company said.

“AstraZeneca is also already conducting research in locations where the variant has been identified, namely in Botswana and Eswatini,” the company said.

Moderna, in a statement Friday, said the combination of mutations in the variant “represents a significant potential risk to accelerate the waning of natural and vaccine-induced immunity.”

“A booster dose of an authorized vaccine represents the only currently available strategy for boosting waning immunity,” the company said.

Moderna said it will test three booster candidates against omicron, including at a higher dosage level. The company will also develop a booster dose specific to the variant.

“From the beginning, we have said that as we seek to defeat the pandemic, it is imperative that we are proactive as the virus evolves,” said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel in a statement. “The mutations in the Omicron variant are concerning and for several days, we have been moving as fast as possible to execute our strategy to address this variant.”

The variant, which emerged in South Africa, has about 50 mutations, more than 30 of which are on the spike protein that allows the virus to bind to human cells. The spread of the new variant is still in its early stages, and it’s not yet clear how severe an infection would be to a vaccinated person.

Several European and Asian nations have suspended flights from southern Africa in response to the variant. The United Kingdom suspended flights on Thursday from six countries in the region, and the European Commission – the European Union’s executive body – told all 27 member states to halt travel from southern Africa.

White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on Friday said the U.S. is working with South African scientists to obtain the molecular makeup of the variant so lab tests can be conducted. Those tests would help determine whether or not the variant can evade antibody protection provided by the vaccines.

Fauci said that data would help determine whether or not the U.S. should implement similar travel restrictions. The Biden administration confirmed later on Friday that the U.S. would restrict entry for non-citizens coming from eight southern African nations.

The strength of Covid vaccines against infection has declined over time, although they’re still highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death. A study published in the journal Science this month found that the Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy at preventing infection declined from 86% to 43% from February to October. Moderna’s vaccine dropped from 89% to 58%, and J&J’s vaccine fell from 86% to 13% efficacy against infection in the same study.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized booster shots of Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s vaccines for all adults last Friday. The Pfizer booster dose was 95% effective at preventing symptomatic infection in people who had no evidence of prior infection in a clinical trial of 10,000 participants ages 16 and older, according to the company. Moderna is still conducting a clinical trial on the efficacy of its booster dose.

ShareTweetPin

Related Posts

Fund manager names one trend that will ‘affect all industries’ — and reveals how he’s trading it

by
June 27, 2022
0

For decades, globalization has been an established part of the global economic system, but fund manager Dan Katz believes its...

These global stocks look oversold — and analysts are expecting a rebound

by
June 27, 2022
0

Market watchers have been reluctant to call the bottom on the sell-off in global stocks this year, but some assets...

Asia-Pacific markets gain as investors monitor recession fears

by
June 27, 2022
0

A man walks past the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), in Tokyo, Japan, on...

Russia Defaults on Foreign Debt for First Time Since 1918

by
June 27, 2022
0

Associated Press EXPLAINER: What's the impact of a Russian debt default? Russia is poised to default on its foreign debt...

Stock futures fall following a major comeback week for stocks

by
June 26, 2022
0

Traders on the floor of the NYSE, June 15, 2022. Source: NYSE U.S. stock futures were little changed on Sunday...

Next Post

ADA Rocked After eToro Announces Surprise Delisting in US

Alibaba Stock Price Target Cut Again as More Analysts Smile on Rival JD.com

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

email

Get the daily email about stock.

Please Enter Your Email Address:



By opting in you agree to our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Remember that you can opt-out any time, we hate spam too!

MOST VIEWED

  • Forget Tesla — this auto stock is the one to buy right now, analyst says

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fund manager believes FAANG is dead — says now it’s all about MANTA

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Bank of America names its top global tech stocks — including one it says has upside of 100%

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Conviction sell’: UBS says avoid these global stocks amid rising headwinds

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • These are the global stocks to own if stagflation hits, according to Credit Suisse

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Home
  • Trade News
  • Email Whitelisting
  • Privacy Policy
All rights reserved by www.magicaltrade.net
No Result
View All Result
  • Email Whitelisting
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy

All rights reserved by www.magicaltrade.net