U.K. Approves Vaccine Booster That Targets Omicron

U.K. Approves , Vaccine Booster , That Targets Omicron.

The United Kingdom has become the first country to approve vaccine boosters specifically designed to counter the omicron variant of COVID-19.

The United Kingdom has become the first country to approve vaccine boosters specifically designed to counter the omicron variant of COVID-19.

NPR reports that the decision paves the way for people in the U.K. to receive their shots early in the fall season.

The Moderna vaccine booster is "bivalent," meaning that it combines two different versions of the vaccine.

Half of the mix is aimed at the original strain of COVID, while the other half is formulated to fight the original omicron variant.

What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armory to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve, Dr. June Raine, Head of the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, via NPR.

What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armory to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve, Dr. June Raine, Head of the U.K.'s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, via NPR.

According to researchers in the U.K., the omicron booster "triggers a strong immune response" that defends against both the 2020 strain of COVID and omicron.

According to researchers in the U.K., the omicron booster "triggers a strong immune response" that defends against both the 2020 strain of COVID and omicron.

NPR points out that the combo booster differs from the omicron-specific booster which officials in the United States hope to roll out this fall.

The U.S. FDA has requested vaccine developers to target later omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.

Those two strains currently make up a majority of cases in the U.S. According to NPR, officials hope to authorize omicron-specific boosters by mid-September