Should Moderna News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

These two together until we know what's going on are going to be critical in our line of defense. >> if it turns out this particular variant doesn't work with the current vaccine, how much will it take to come up with a booster to protect against a variant like this? >> at moderna, we've been testing various and significant boosters since over the summer, one to the beta variant, one to the delta. our platform we can move very fast, we think weeks to within two to three months, we would be able to have an omicron-specific vaccine booster available for testing and then for administration. this ...

>> this variant is spreading in a part of the world with a low vaccination rate. should moderna and other vaccination companies have done more to provide vaccines to other parts of the world? >> we have been producing our vaccine at the highest rate we can. the contracts we have required it to go to the u.s., europe, uk, other parts of the world. we are now as well producing 110 million doses that will go through covax to african nations. we're doing everything we possibly can. i think it's important to keep in mind as well that when you look at the number of deaths from covid, a million peopl...

>> reporter: as officials are waiting to learn more about the impact of this variant, those new travel restrictions are set to take effect at midnight tonight. that's banning travel from south africa and seven other countries in the region. the question going forward is whether the u.s. might enact other mitigation measures like what we heard from british prime minister boris johnson announced yesterday, new steps when it comes to testing of travelers and wearing masks indoors. this is a very crucial test for the biden administration as they are confronting this new variant and trying to learn...

Possible evidence we can. how transmissible is this? we don't know that? how severe is it? we don't have an answer to that question either. we have to allow the scientists to take the time and get us solid answers to those questions. >> to people who have been hesitant to get the vaccine, what is your pitch to them to finally get it when it's not clear it will be effective against this particular variant? >> i think we have to assume that some vaccination even against a very dangerous variant is extremely good to have. keep in mind as well there are other variants out there right now. delta is...

Pfizer is expanding beyond its coronavirus vaccine.