US biotechnology firm Moderna on Monday said lab studies showed its COVID-19 vaccine would remain protective against variants of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa, AFP reports.
The company added that out of caution, it will test adding a second booster of its vaccine and has begun preclinical studies on a booster specifically for the South African variant.
"We are encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine should be protective against these newly detected variants," Stephane Bancel, Moderna's CEO, was quoted as having said.
"Out of an abundance of caution and leveraging the flexibility of our mRNA platform, we are advancing an emerging variant booster candidate against the variant first identified in the Republic of South Africa into the clinic," added the Moderna CEO.
The company has previously said it was confident its vaccine was effective against the new strains of coronavirus discovered in Britain and South Africa.
Moderna has received authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, Canada and Israel, which received its first doses of the Moderna vaccine earlier this month.