DETROIT – There has been encouraging new data released regarding the effectiveness of the Moderna COVID vaccine.
There is still disagreement over if, and when, a booster shot might be needed for otherwise healthy individuals. Moderna said its COVID vaccine remains highly effective for at least six months.
That doesn’t mean the effectiveness drops after that, it’s just when the latest data was analyzed. It’s critical to remember that was before the delta variant was more common.
Moderna filed to seek full approval for its vaccine from the FDA in June. It now plans to submit the final data needed to complete the application sometime this month.
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The newest data on efficacy comes from the analysis of Moderna’s clinical trial that started in July of last year. It included around 30,000 participants. The initial efficacy was 94.1%. Six months after the second dose it was still 93%
It’s important to note that the data was collected before the delta variant became dominant in the United States. Ahead of an earnings update, the president of Moderna said the company believes boosters would be necessary this fall to address the delta variant.
Pfizer has made similar statements, but federal health officials continue to stay there is no significant signal that boosters are necessary yet.
On Thursday, the White House COVID Response Team announced they do plan to offer boosters to people who are immunocompromised. Israel, Germany and France are all planning to offer boosters to at-risk groups.
Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are all testing the impact of booster shots in some of the participants of their original trials. The data will be critical for helping health officials determine if boosters will be needed.
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