Moderna Co-founder and Chairman Noubar Afeyan discusses the progress the vaccine developer has made in the battle against Covid-19 and the different variants that have been emerging. He also talks about whether booster shots will be necessary and vaccine supply shortages.
Why is the company recommending a third dose?
Despite just over 50% of the US population vaccinated, there has been a worrying rise in cases driven by the Delta variant of covid-19. The new variant is much more infectious than previous variants. It has forced some states to reimpose some restrictions and others to impose vaccine mandates on federal workers. As the country heads towards winter, where more of the population will be indoors, there will be a higher risk of infection in comparison to the summer.
— Julie Leask (@JulieLeask) August 3, 2021
For those whose vaccines were administered at the beginning of the year there could be a risk by the fall that they have lost some of their effectiveness. This could in turn lead to what are called ‘breakthrough cases,’ where people are reinfected with covid-19 but at a stage that could put their health seriously at risk. Moderna posted new information as part of its second-quarter earnings release where it claimed a third dose may be needed as the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter. The company said both a third shot of the original vaccine and new versions have demonstrated “robust antibody responses to COVID-19 variants of concern.” Tests for a third jab reportedly give the same level of protection as someone who received the original two does for the first time. The information has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.