UPDATE

U.K. Is First Country to Approve an Omicron Vaccine Booster

The updated Moderna vaccine provides protection against the original COVID-19 strain and the Omicron subvariants that are still raging.

The U.K. has approved a COVID-19 vaccine booster that specifically targets both the original virus strain and Omicron subvariants that continue to drive most infections. The updated Moderna vaccine will likely be available in the next few weeks, after a study found the booster gave patients better protection from the virus. “The first generation of Covid-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives,” said June Raine, the chief executive of the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. “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.” The booster will be distributed starting in the fall to those 50 and older and those who are at higher risk of serious infection.