Moderna expects its COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the British coronavirus variant

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FILE PHOTO: Michelle Chester, DNP, Director, Health Services Officer, Northwell demonstrates Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital in New York, USA, December 21, 2020. REUTERS / Eduardo Munoz / Pool / File Photo

(Reuters) -Moderna Inc said Wednesday it expects the immunity induced by its COVID-19 vaccine to be protective against the coronavirus variants reported in the UK.

The company said it plans to conduct tests to confirm the vaccine’s activity against any strain.

Moderna’s comments came amidst the UK government’s plan to put huge swaths of England under the strictest COVID-19 restrictions as a highly contagious virus strain engulfs the country.

The company said it expects its vaccine, which recently received US emergency authorization, will be protective against the UK variant based on data to date.

“We have already tested sera from animals and humans vaccinated with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine against a number of previous variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that have emerged since the first pandemic outbreak and found that our vaccine remains equally effective., ‘said Moderna. (bit.ly/3pi3kqi)

The US-based company said it would be conducting additional tests of the vaccine in the coming weeks to confirm its expectation.

Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel

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