Moderna says updated vaccine may offer better protection against variants

• Moderna said the bivalent vaccine provided protection against the Delta and Omicron variants even though they were not specifically targeted, according to a press release announcing the study results, which have not yet been reviewed by outside scientists.
• "We believe that a bivalent booster vaccine, if authorized, would create a new tool as we continue to respond to emerging variants," Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, said in a statement.
• Volunteers who got a booster shot of the bivalent vaccine generated more than two times the level of antibodies against the Omicron variant compared with those who got a booster dose of the existing vaccine, the company said.

Between the lines: Mutations of the Beta variant "have been persistent in more recent variants of concern including Omicron," which is why it was relevant to test, per the researchers.

The big picture: The preliminary study results come as health officials are eyeing a long-term strategy for COVID vaccinations, addressing the risk of new variants and the need for new boosters, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports.

Go deeper: Experts eye a new game plan for COVID vaccines