Moderna CEO Suggests Higher Dose Booster Shot To Combat Omicron Variant

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While scientists around the world rush to learn more about the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel suggested that some people could get a higher dose of his company's mRNA COVID vaccine to help boost immune protection.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Bancel said early indications show the mutated virus will reduce the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.

"I think it's going to be a material drop. I just don't know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I've talked to . . . are like 'this is not going to be good,'" Bancel told the outlet according to Yahoo! Finance.

Bancel explained that it could take several months to update the current vaccines to be effective against the variant. In the meantime, a higher dose or a fourth booster shot could be an effective way to provide protection against the virus.

"The higher dose could be done right away, but it will be months before the omicron-specific variant is ready to ship in massive quantities," Bancel told CNBC'sSquawk Box.

He said that it would take about two weeks for scientists to determine the impact the mutated strain has on the efficacy of the vaccines.

"Depending on how much it dropped, we might decide on the one hand to give a higher dose of the current vaccine around the world to protect people, maybe people at very high risk, the immunocompromised, and the elderly should need a fourth dose," he said.


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