Updated COVID-19 vaccine should protect against new variant, Moderna says

(CNN) - Vaccine maker Moderna says its updated COVID-19 shot should protect against the highly mutated new BA.2.86 variant.

According to the company, testing suggests its updated vaccine generates a “strong immune response” against the new variant that has public health experts on alert.

So far, only a few dozen cases of the variant have been identified globally.

Moderna said it shared the data with regulators and is ready to supply its updated vaccine once it gets regulatory approval.

Approval by the Food and Drug Administration is expected for updated shots designed around the recently circulating variant X.BB.1.5.

The FDA’s signoff on those shots is expected before a Sept. 12 meeting of the vaccine advisors for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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