The long wait for new vaccines adapted to the ommicron variants of the coronavirus seems to be coming to an end soon. That made the head of the company Biontech, Ugur Sahin, known to the “Spiegel”. A new vaccine could be delivered as early as next week. However, the approval of the European Medicines Agency EMA is still missing.
“We can deliver very quickly, hopefully from the beginning of September,” Sahin told the German magazine. He initially expects the modified Covid vaccine against the omicron variant BA.1 to be approved, but there is also a booster for the currently dominant BA.5 variant. The latter must be approved a little later, the final documents submitted for an investigation by the EMA, says Sahin. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) recently brought delivery from September 2 into play.
EMA special meeting on 1 September
EMA only announced a special meeting for September 1 on Tuesday. At this meeting, Moderna and Biontech/Pfizer’s approval applications for booster vaccinations (omicron boosters) against the omicron variant of the coronavirus will be discussed.
“Virus continues to mutate at high speed”
In an interview with “Spiegel,” Biontech founder Sahin warned of further mutations in the pathogen SARS-CoV-2. “The virus is still mutating at a rapid pace,” he said. It is difficult to predict when it has changed so much that it is no longer recognized by the wild-type vaccines. “But sooner rather than later,” he feared.
It is therefore important to show the immune system “as many mutated positions as possible so that it learns and also recognizes subsequent variants,” says Sahin. The Omicron boosters developed by Biontech are very suitable for this.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
