Moderna CEO says existing vaccines may be less effective against Omicron variant By: AFP on November 30, 2021HONG KONG: It will take months to develop a new shot of COVID-19 vaccine that works against the Omicron variant as the existing vaccines will be less effective against the new strain, the head of US vaccine manufacturer Moderna has told Financial Times. Stephane Bancel told the newspaper in an interview published Tuesday that data would […]
Coronavirus to become ‘part of the furniture’ in near future: US disease expert By: AFP on November 30, 2021The only thing that can hamper the coronavirus from turning into another endemic that humans are living with, are two factors: inequality in vaccine distribution and worse variants. Even as countries scramble to address a new worrying virus variant and Europe battles a winter resurgence, health experts say that taming the pandemic over the next […]
Pfizer already working on Covid vaccine targeting Omicron: CEO By: AFP on November 30, 2021NEW YORK: Pfizer has already started working on a version of its Covid-19 vaccine specifically targeting the new Omicron variant in case the current inoculation is not effective against the latest strain, the US drug maker’s CEO Albert Bourla said Monday. Bourla told CNBC that his company on Friday began testing the current vaccine against […]
Schools sealed for refusing measles vaccination in Peshawar By: APP on November 27, 2021PESHAWAR: The Peshawar district administration has sealed 25 private schools for refusing vaccination of students against measles and rubella. This was disclosed at a progress review meeting on the 12-day anti-measles and rubella vaccination campaign held here on Friday with additional deputy commissioner Gul Bano in the chair. Additional deputy commissioner (relief) Mohammad Imran Khan, […]
Ban on travel from Africa widens as new Covid variant sparks fear By: AFP on November 27, 2021The United States, Brazil, Canada, and Saudi Arabia became the latest countries to restrict travel from southern Africa, where a new Covid strain labelled a “variant of concern” has been discovered in a potentially heavy blow to the world’s efforts to end the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization said the new variant is more infectious than the dominant, highly transmissible Delta strain, and […]
Moderna says it will develop booster shot for new Covid variant By: AFP on November 27, 2021The US pharmaceutical company Moderna said Friday it will develop a booster shot against the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus. It is one of three strategies the company is working to address the new threat, including a higher dose of its existing vaccine, Moderna said. “The mutations in the Omicron variant are concerning and for several days, we have been moving as fast as possible to execute our strategy […]