Pfizer and BioNTech announced start of clinical trials of a new version of vaccine specifically developed to fight the Omicron strain. They will test the safety and tolerance of the vaccine within trials involving more than 1,400 people. The Voice of America reports.
The companies plan to test the immune response generated by the modified vaccine both as part of a three-injection regimen for unvaccinated people and as a booster dose for people who have already received two doses of the original vaccine.
"While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide high levels of protection against severe disease and hospitalization for Omicron infection, we recognize the need to prepare for the fact that this protection will weaken over time and potentially help address protection against Omicron and new strains in the future,"Kathrin U. Jansen, head of Vaccine Research and Development (VRD), at Pfizer said in a statement.
Company officials said they expect to produce four billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccine in 2022, and that number will include doses of the new vaccine if trials show it is needed.
