Moderna Says Vaccine Still Protects Against Virus Variants

Moderna Says Vaccine Still Protects Against Virus Variants

Covid-19 VaccinesVaccine QuestionsWhich States are Increasing AccessRollout by StateHow 9 Vaccines WorkModerna Says Vaccine Still Protects Against Virus VariantsThe vaccine yields fewer antibodies against the variant discovered in South Africa, and so the company plans to test an alternate version. A vaccine trial in Johannesburg last month.Credit...Joao Silva/The New York TimesBy Denise GradyJan. 25, 2021, 8:30 a.m. ETModerna's vaccine is effective against new variants of the coronavirus that have emerged in Britain and South Africa, the company announced on Monday. But it appears to be less protective against the variant discovered in South Africa, and so the company is developing a new form of the vaccine that could be used as a booster shot against that virus.“We're doing it today to be ahead of the curve should we need to,” Dr. Tal Zaks, Moderna's chief medical officer, said in an interview. “I think of it as an insurance policy.” He added, “I don't know if we need it, and I hope we don't.”Moderna reported findings from a study that used blood samples from eight people who had received two doses of the vaccine, and two monkeys that had also been immunized. The British variant had no impact on the levels