Moderna to 'rapidly advance' omicron-specific COVID-19 booster candidate

Moderna Inc. said Friday it will "rapidly advance" an omicron-specific COVID-19 booster vaccine candidate and continue to work on booster candidates designed to anticipate mutations of the coronavirus and to study and test higher booster doses also meant to boost immunity. The World Health Organization's technical advisory group earlier on Friday assigned the variant, which was first reported in South Africa, the Greek letter omicron, and said it has been designated a "variant of concern." The US, the U.K. and the European Union have implemented travel bans on South Africa and neighboring countries on Friday, amid concerns the variant may be more transmissible. Shares of Moderna ended the abbreviated Friday session up nearly 21%, while shares of Pfizer Inc. rose more than 6%.

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