The United Kingdom has become the first country to approve an updated version of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna company. Russian service of BBC reports.
According to it, the vaccine will be offered as a booster shot this fall to provide additional protection against different strains of the virus.
The vaccine is designed to fight both the original version of the coronavirus and the first strain of Omicron (BA.1), which appeared in the winter.
This vaccine is also called bivalent because it targets two variants of COVID at once. It has been tested on 437 patients and has proven to be safe and has an increased level of protection against infection.
«The first generation of COVID vaccines in use in the UK continues to be an important defense against the disease and saves lives. The bivalent vaccine is a specially crafted tool to protect us from COVID as the virus continues to mutate,» said MHRA Chief Executive Dr. June Raine.
Moderna promises to deliver 13 million doses of the vaccine to the UK by the end of the year.
