Moderna has announced that the first participant has been administered a jab as part of a Phase 2 clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot specific to the Omicron variant.

The company is moving the trial into its next phase as new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine noted that a booster shot of the vaccine was durable against the Omicron variant but did show any signs of decreasing antibody protection.

CEO Stéphane Bancel stated that they are reassured by the persistence of antibodies against Omicron at 6 months following the 50 μg booster of the vaccine. Considering the long-term threat posed by Omicrons immune escape, the Omicron-specific variant vaccine booster candidate is being advanced and the next phase of the Phase 2 study is being started. The company intends to recruit around 600 individuals in the study, to be conducted at up to 24 sites in the US. 

Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech have also started their own Omicron-specific vaccine trials… (CNN, January 27, 2022)