Vaccine Makers Are More Prepared for Omicron Than You Think

If the original vaccines don't hold up, Pfizer and Moderna are ready to develop and launch new versions of their shots tailored to Omicron.

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By Paola de Varona, Associate News Editor While news about the Omicron variant may seem scary, we might be more prepared than we think. Behind the scenes, vaccine manufacturers are rushing to get ahead of this new variant. Today's Top Story Vaccine Makers Are Ready For Omicron There are still many unknowns about the Omicron variant. But vaccine manufacturers are rising to meet the challenge.   Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna said they are testing whether the current vaccines still protect against serious illness and death in cases of the new variant. If the original vaccines don't hold up, both companies are also ready to develop and launch new versions of their shots tailored to Omicron if necessary. Johnson & Johnson has also stated that a variant-specific vaccine is in the works.   Moderna said that its first plan of action is testing whether increasing the dosage of its booster shot from 50 micrograms to 100 micrograms would induce a higher immune response against Omicron. If that doesn't work, the company will then test two booster candidates created in case viral mutations—like some of those seen in the new variant—ever arose. Know More These additional boosters may not even be necessary. "There's no point of making major changes to the vaccines that we're currently using unless we see a real clear benefit to do that," Robert Bollinger, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, said.   Earlier in the year, manufacturers developed shots for other variants like Delta and Beta. But these variations were never distributed since the original vaccines continued to protect against variants. Feel Better We won't have more information about how Omicron works for about two weeks. Right now, the current COVID vaccines and boosters are the best way to protect yourself and others. READ MORE While the Omicron variant has been identified in the U.S., it still hasn't spread widely. According to the CDC, the Delta variant currently accounts for most COVID cases in the country. HIV Doesn't Affect Everyone Equally Yesterday, National World Aids Day brought conversations about HIV to the forefront. HIV does not affect all groups equally. In the United States, Black and Latinx people, men who have sex with men (MSM), trans women/transfeminine people, and the trans community at large are disproportionately impacted. Verywell's new Health Divide series offers resources for people with HIV or who belong to a group disproportionately impacted by the virus, as well as stories of people who have experienced the challenges of living with HIV firsthand. READ MORE Life After COVID Can Smell Terrible We've all heard of one of COVID's hallmark symptoms: a loss of sense of smell and taste. But for some people recovering from the virus, everything smells rotten. Normal odors can suddenly smell metallic or skunk-like. This is a condition called parosmia where odors become distorted. One survey found most people recover after three months, but those lingering dumpster smells can last much longer for others. READ MORE     Mary Choy, PharmD, a Verywell Medical Advisory Board member, shared why it's important to get vaccinated, especially now. The vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and your family—even if you've had COVID-19. Getting vaccinated now is especially important as there are more contagious variants spreading around the country. Mary Choy, PharmD Director of Pharmacy Practice at the New York State Council of Health-System Pharmacists   Keep Reading   ■ Omicron Scary Mutations May Not Work Well Together. New York Times     ■ Would You Share your Frozen Eggs? The Cut     ■ Supreme Court Seems Poised to Consider Limits on Right to Abortion. The Hill More From Verywell Advocating for HIV Care READ MORE 'Smell Training' Can Help People Post-COVID READ MORE What to Know About HIV and COVID READ MORE   How'd we do? If you have any feedback, send us a note at   feedback@verywell.com.       You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.   A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2021 verywellhealth.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy