Moderna Vaccine Works Against New Strains But May Need New Third Booster

The two-dose regimen of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine at the 100 µg dose is expected to be protective against emerging strains detected to date. Moderna will test an additional booster dose of its COVID-19 Vaccine (mRNA-1273) to study the ability to further increase neutralizing titers against emerging strains beyond the existing primary vaccination series.

Moderna is also advancing an emerging variant booster candidate (mRNA-1273.351) against the B.1.351 variant first identified in the Republic of South Africa. The Company is advancing mRNA-1273.351 into preclinical studies and a Phase 1 study in the U.S. to evaluate the immunological benefit of boosting with strain-specific spike proteins.

Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA), major COVID vaccine maker, announced results from in vitro neutralization studies of sera from individuals vaccinated with Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine showing activity against emerging strains of SARS-CoV-2. Vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine produced neutralizing titers against all key emerging variants tested, including B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, first identified in the UK and Republic of South Africa, respectively. The study showed no significant impact on neutralizing titers against the B.1.1.7 variant relative to prior variants. A six-fold reduction in neutralizing titers was observed with the B.1.351 variant relative to prior variants. Despite this reduction, neutralizing titer levels with B.1.351 remain above levels that are expected to be protective.

First detected in September 2020 in the United Kingdom, the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant has seventeen mutations in the viral genome with eight mutations located in the spike (S) protein. The B.1.351 variant, first detected in South Africa, has ten mutations located in the spike (S) protein. Both variants have spread at a rapid rate and are associated with increased transmission and a higher viral burden after infection.

SOURCES- Moderna
Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com

29 thoughts on “Moderna Vaccine Works Against New Strains But May Need New Third Booster”

  1. Thanks again for stressing the importance of Vitamin C (time released) with Quercetin in their potential for prophylaxis against COVID-19. It seems the Vitamin C besides reducing IL-6, can also mature your T-cell population faster, and recycles quercetin from it's oxidized form (toxic) to it's initial form which helps block the virus at ACE2, decreases the cytokine storm, and inhibits viral replication better at 3CLpro (cool). I went hunting around and found this interesting paper at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01451/full

  2. I haven't forgotten Vitamin C (very common place I guess, useful in high amounts for fighting against sepsis), and usually take some everyday, but hadn't thought about time released versions. I've seen also some mechanisms of potential action that Vitamin B (Vitamin B1-B6, B complex, etc.) see figure 1 at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7428453/ against COVID-19, but haven't seen much in the way of Clinical studies yet. As to Garlic, I became a fan of that 2 years ago, not for COVID-19 (which I don't know of any potential mechanisms against it), but potentially for atherosclerosis on reducing the typical buildup you get day to day when I saw a UCLA Biomedical Study on some firemen taking it. When I can I take 1200mgs in the morning and 1200mgs in the evening just like the treatment group (Kyolic brand). For the last two years, the ultrasound hasn't seen much growth of atherosclerosis in my carotids (negligible) where there is a 20-25% block at the moment. I'll keep an eye on my personal experiment (myself…lol) for the next 3 years to see if it really is doing something, but so far encouraging. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26764322/

  3. Don't forget vitamin C. I take 1,000 mg time release with rose hips in the morning. If you take calcium as well, don't take it at the same time because it can cause gallstones. A little boron with the calcium also helps reduce calcium going where it is not supposed to go. Don't bother buying that separately, there are many calcium supplements with a bit of boron in there. 
    My sister swears by garlic. I don't care much for garlic, so I take an odorless garlic pill to appease her.
    I also think iodine is good, though I haven't got anything to back me up. I take one drop of Lugol's iodine solution (that is not a brand) a week…in my scrambled eggs. And have for maybe 3 years. No taste there but if you put it in a glass of water I don't think you will like it. They don't recommend anyone take iodine supplements without a doctor's recommendation. But, I suspect, that is because there are too many Bozos who take ridiculous amounts, or buy the topical iodine for injuries and ingest it.

  4. Given that you were already in the mood for sarcasm, how could you possibly have thought that my comment was serious?

    Time we introduce the practice of writing all sarcasm in italics, so that no guesswork is required.

  5. There were heaps of people talking about wearing masks for the "expected duration". The only surprise so far has been that the vaccines got here so quickly.

  6. There are no new "strains" of COVID-19 only variants which can most likely be handled by existing vaccines. If not, the mRNA process still gives us much more hope than we heretofore could have had of adapting rapidly and snuffing this thing out. I get so tired of the continued pessimism and alarmism.

  7. Apparently Israel has delivered 50 doses per 100 people (around 30% having received at least one dose). So some good info from there – not necessarily new, but good verification.

    • A single dose of Pfizer vaccination seems less effective than hoped. Maybe 50% immunity.
    • It takes weeks for the first dose to build up anti-bodies
    • The second dose appears to be more quickly effective.
    • 2 doses appears to give around 92% protection

    So – delaying 2nd doses to try spreading limited supplies may not be a great approach, especially if once-vaccinated people mistakenly think they're 'safe' and increase their social risk of exposure.

  8. Who seriously thought the choices of the irrational and the inept would lead to anywhere but disaster. Buffoonery is all fun and games, but it only needs to kill you the one time or break something that cant be easily fixed. How long before the mass rationalization starts, the costs of dealing with the consequences of their own actions are too high so it's better to do nothing.

  9. It sounds like everyone is going to need to be going in for their monthly booster shots. This doesn’t seem like something that is feasible at every local pharmacy, especially if they need cold storage.

    The government should consider constructing large vaccine centers around the Country and people will be notified on what day and time to be there.

    It sounds terrible, but who seriously thought they would be wearing a mask for a year at the beginning of this?

  10. Far as I've heard, they're only scarier because they tend to be more contagious, not because they're more dangerous. This specific virus and its variants appear to all work at the same level of "you gon' get messed up".

    But more contagious is something to keep an eye on.

  11. I do welcome this news that the Moderna vaccine will have more potential efficacy against the South African variant of COVID-19, however when it's my time I will jump to getting whichever of the vaccines is available (Pfizer or Moderna's), get both doses in to get to Day 42-56 for the full efficacy (of either) to kick in. That said, I keep my eye on clinical trials ongoing of various prophylaxis, an eye on scholar google, and which things could have potential making COVID-19 harder to 'set up shop' as it were. Zinc 50mg a day, Quercetin 200mgs twice a day, Trans-resveratrol 250mgs twice a day (5mgs piperine to help with the bioavailability), Vitamin D3 500-1000IUs once a day, for myself and my wife. Melatonin 2-3mgs once a day before bed. Things that are most of the time tolerated well, cheap (accessible), that I'm taking my best guess potentially work, but who knows. By the time the clinical trials are done working those double blinded studies, we'll likely be out of the woods by May or early June if some of these models are correct (getting over 40% of your most vulnerable population vaccinated (both doses)….with no more big waves like we are used too). Ahh for Spring.

  12. It is from sea squirts actually. UCSF in California identified it as something to evaluate for Covid. And there are 13 groups involved mostly in the Bay area, and NY but Paris and Madrid as well.

  13. No, it does not seem that is the most effective of the lot, just differently measured.

    If you test everyone and include the people who don't even have symptoms you get one definition of efficacy. If you only look at hard outcomes; how many in each group end up in hospital, you get another measure of efficacy.

  14. So they are injecting people with 20% U to stop the virus?
    Or are they going to use thermonuclear detonations?

  15. Nobody needs a booster shot when wearing a second mask will do just fine. And if two masks aren't enough then go for three masks!

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