After the World Health Organization warned that new mutations to the epidemic may appear in the coming weeks after the end of the summer, the European Union Medicines Agency sounded the alarm about completely new mutations that may appear this winter.
The vaccine official at the European Agency did not rule out that the next new mutant will be closer to the primary Omicron strains, which have now largely been surpassed by “Pi4 and 5 types.”
However, despite these warnings, the agency announced that the currently available vaccines are supposed to protect against acute illness or death.
Booster vaccines against a completely new type
These developments came as European Union countries prepared to launch a campaign of booster vaccines against Covid, before a wave of infections is feared to spread later this year.
These vaccines include a diverse mixture of currently licensed Omicron vaccines, in addition to the original vaccines developed to combat the virus, according to the European Agency.
However, the European Agency’s official in charge of vaccines, Marco Cavalieri, warned that people should not wait for a special vaccine.
He added that an entirely new mutation is emerging that we cannot anticipate today.
He also said that these new modified Omicron vaccines will be widely used in booster doses for the elderly, vulnerable groups, pregnant women and health workers.
Instead, the general public will receive the original vaccines designed to combat the Wuhan strain.
Cavalieri noted that the original vaccines are still able to protect against severe Covid-19 and death, even if they are less effective in preventing infection.
old vaccines
It is noteworthy that the European Union Medicines Agency had given, on Thursday, its approval of modified vaccines from the two companies Pfizer / Biontech and Moderna, intended to combat the old “PI1” mutant from Omicron.
A vaccine developed by Pfizer against the PI4 and 5 strains is expected to be licensed in mid-September, while Moderna is developing a similar vaccine.