The COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus as they were against Delta, Moderna’s chief executive said today, raising alarm in the financial markets.
Crude futures fell more than a dollar, the Australian currency fell to a one-year low and the Nikkei index lost ground as Stephen Bancel comments left fears that a resistance to Omicron vaccines could lead to more vaccines. , prolonging the pandemic of the new coronavirus.
“By no means do I want to convey that I recommend for the mother to be inactive,” he said.
“I think it’s going to be a big drop. I just don’t know how much, because we have to wait for the data. But all the scientists I’ve talked to are kind of like ‘this is not going to be good,'” Bansel said.
Moderna did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment on the interview and when it expects to have data on the effectiveness of its vaccine against the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that creates a “very high” risk.
Bancell had previously told CNBC that there was expected to be more clarity about the effectiveness of the Omicron vaccines in about two weeks and that it could take months for a vaccine to work against the new variant of the coronavirus to begin.
WHO and scientists have also announced that it may take days to weeks to understand the level of severity of the new variant and its potential ability to escape the immunity provided by the vaccines.
“Vaccination is still likely to keep you out of the hospital,” said John Warry, director of the Penn Institute of Immunology in Philadelphia.
Uncertainty over the new mutant has caused alarm around the world, with border closures casting a shadow over the economic recovery after two years of pandemic.
News of the Omicron variant sparked nearly $ 2 trillion in international equities on Friday, but this week calmed down a bit as investors waited for more information on it.
US President Joe Biden’s comments that the US will not impose a lockdown again also helped ease the markets before Moderna CEO’s comments scared investors.
Biden called for broader vaccinations, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that anyone over the age of 18 get the third boost of COVID-19 vaccine. Britain has also expanded its vaccine booster program amid fears of Omicron.
This new variant of the coronavirus, first reported on November 24 by South Africa, has since spread to more than 12 countries. Japan, the third largest economy in the world, today confirmed its first case.
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