Moderna’s New Booster Boosts Fight Against Brazil & South Africa Variants
What the study shows: A tiny 40‑person trial found that a third dose of Moderna’s existing COVID‑19 shot, or a brand‑new vaccine aimed at the South African variant (mRNA‑1273.351), spikes antibodies against every tested strain—including those pesky variants first spotted in Brazil and South Africa. The old booster still works, but the new one punches harder against the South African variant.
Why it matters
- The Brazilian and South African variants are thought to be more stubborn against the original vaccine.
- They’ve popped up here in the U.S., but they still make up only a tiny slice of infections.
- Boosting antibodies early on is a good quick check that folks are getting more protection.
General Take (with a sprinkle of CEO pep)
“We’re encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that our booster strategy should be protective against the newer variants of COVID‑19,” says Moderna’s chief executive Stephane Bancel.
Side Effects? Nothing out of the ordinary.
Both boosters were comfortably tolerated, presenting side effects similar to the second dose in prior studies. No surprise here!
Next steps and what’s on the horizon
- Moderna is also testing a hybrid shot that fuses the old and new vaccines.
- We’ll likely see more data in the coming weeks, especially for the blend.
- Meanwhile, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is running its own early‑stage study on the mRNA‑1273.351 vaccine.
In short, a booster from Moderna is doing more than just raising numbers—it’s helping keep the bad variants at bay, and all with the familiar calm that comes from being a dose away from full protection.
