Moderna says its COVID-19 booster appears effective against Omicron

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21: American biotechnology company Moderna announced Monday that preliminary data suggests its COVID-19 booster shot appears to increase antibody levels against the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The currently authorized 50-microgram booster of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1273 increased neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron about 37-fold compared to pre-boost levels, and a 100-microgram booster dose increased neutralizing antibody levels about 83-fold, said the company in a release.