Moderna has reported promising results from an early clinical trial of its new Covid vaccine, indicating a strong immune response against the dominant Eris variant and another rapidly spreading strain of the virus. The updated vaccine targets the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, but the findings suggest that it could also provide effectiveness against newer virus variants gaining prevalence, including Eris and a variant referred to as Fornax. Both Eris and Fornax are offshoots of the omicron virus variant.
Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax are all set to introduce updated Covid vaccines in the coming weeks, pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Despite the continued acceleration of Covid-related hospitalizations driven by variants like Eris, the current situation remains below the peak seen in the summer of the previous year.
Eris, also known as EG.5, has accounted for around 17.3% of all cases as of recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization has classified Eris as a “variant of interest,” signifying ongoing monitoring for potentially severe mutations.
Fornax, alternatively referred to as FL 1.5.1, is also witnessing a surge in some parts of the United States. This variant comprised about 8.6% of all cases nationwide as of earlier this month, according to the CDC.
Pfizer has also asserted that their updated Covid vaccine effectively neutralized the XBB.1.5 variant, as well as Eris and other variants, in a recent trial conducted on mice. The race to combat these evolving variants remains a crucial aspect of the ongoing fight against the pandemic.
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