The CEO of vaccine manufacturer Moderna warned on Monday that current vaccines may not be effective against the new omicron variant.
Stephane Bancel, Moderna’s CEO, said the company was still doing research into the new variant. However, he fears the antibodies the vaccine provides to fight the virus will be eight times lower against omicron.
“There are two key things that we don’t know yet and will find out in [coming weeks],” Bancel told CNBC’s Squawk Box. “One is vaccine efficacy. What is the impact of this new variant on the vaccine efficacy? And we should know that in around two weeks. … Given the large level of mutation, it is highly possible that the efficacy of the vaccines, all of them, is going down.”
PFIZER AND BIONTECH: VACCINE AGAINST NEW COVID-19 STRAIN CAN BE PRODUCED IN 100 DAYS
The omicron variant has over 30 mutations on the spike protein, more than other variants such as delta and beta. Not much is known yet about omicron. However, it is believed to be more transmissible than other variants.
Bancel said it will take two to six weeks for Moderna to know how the current vaccine will interact with the variant. Bancel also confirmed the company can have an updated version of the vaccine ready in 60-90 days if needed.
Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla confirmed the company is also working on an updated vaccine to target omicron.
“Friday, we made our first DNA template, which is the first part of the development process of a new vaccine,” Bourla said. “We would be able to have a vaccine in less than 100 days.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The variant, which first emerged in South Africa, has already spread across the globe. There are currently no cases in the United States. However, Canada, China, and various European and African countries have seen cases of the variant.
A travel ban on South Africa went into effect Monday in the U.S. to help prevent the spread of the virus.
