U.K. becomes first country to approve COVID-19 vaccines targeting omicron

On Monday, the United Kingdom approved an updated version of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that targets both the original coronavirus variant and the omicron variant, becoming the first country to do so.

“An updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna that targets two coronavirus variants (known as a ‘bivalent’ vaccine) has today been approved for adult booster doses by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency after it was found to meet the UK regulator’s standards of safety, quality and effectiveness,” an official government release said, per CNN.

The clinical trials found that this vaccine generated “a strong immune response” against both omicron and the original strain of COVID-19 from 2020, while the side effects remained the same as seen in the original Moderna booster shot, the release stated.