Moderna CEO says data for Omicron-specific shot likely available in March
Moderna Inc's vaccine candidate against the Omicron coronavirus variant will enter clinical development in the next few weeks and the company expects to be able to share data with regulators around March, CEO Stephane Bancel said on Monday.
"The vaccine is being finished ... it should be in the clinic in coming weeks. We are hoping in the March timeframe to be able to have data to share with regulators to figure out next steps," Bancel said at the World Economic Forum's virtual Davos Agenda conference.
Moderna is also developing a single vaccine that combines a booster dose against COVID-19 with its experimental flu shot.
Bancel said the best case scenario was the combined COVID/flu vaccine would be available by the fall of 2023, at least in some countries.
"Our goal is to be able to have a single annual booster so that we don't have compliance issues where people don't want to get two to three shots a winter."
Many countries are already offering a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to their citizens, especially to older individuals and those who are immunocompromised, while Israel has started offering its citizens a fourth dose.
Earlier in January, Moderna's CEO said people may need a fourth shot in the fall of 2022 as the efficacy of boosters against COVID-19 was likely to decline over the next few months.
However, booster programs have met with skepticism from some disease experts over whether, and how widely, additional doses should become available, including the European Union's drug regulator, which has expressed doubts about the need for a fourth booster dose.
Speaking at the same event, top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was no evidence that repeat booster doses would overwhelm the immune system.
"Giving boosters at different times, there is really no evidence that's going to hinder (immune response)."
Fauci said the goal should be to have a booster that induces a response against multiple potential variants.
(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru Editing by Mark Potter)
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Hurts like hell': What goes into the price of gas in Canada
With the price of gas rising above $2 per litre and setting new records in Canada this year, CTVNews.ca looks at what goes into the price per litre of gasoline and where the situation could go from here.
'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two cases were confirmed in this country.
Russia claims to have taken full control of Mariupol
Russia claimed to have captured Mariupol on Friday in what would be its biggest victory yet in its war with Ukraine, following a nearly three-month siege that reduced much of the strategic port city to a smoking ruin, with over 20,000 civilians feared dead.
'Fight for a stronger Alberta': Kenney comments for first time since announcing resignation
Premier Jason Kenney spoke publicly Friday for the first time since dropping the bombshell announcement that he plans to step down as UCP leader and premier of Alberta.
Ontario woman says daughter was discriminated against over face mask
An Ontario woman believes her daughter was discriminated against after she was allegedly kicked out of a local activity centre over her choice to wear a face mask.
WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases cross 100 in Europe
The World Health Organization was due to hold an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the recent outbreak of monkeypox, a viral infection more common to west and central Africa, after more than 100 cases were confirmed or suspected in Europe.
Decision to ban Huawei and ZTE from 5G wasn't easy, PM Trudeau says
On the heels of news that Canada is banning Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision wasn't easy to make. The prime minister also defended the timing of the decision, saying that while it will be years before all use of products from these Chinese companies will be outlawed, it's happening before the country is even more interconnected by the next-generation telecommunications infrastructure.
Quebec City Halloween attacker found guilty of first-degree murder
A man who used a sword to kill and maim victims in Quebec City's historic district on Halloween night 2020 has been found guilty of murder.
Rising temperatures from climate change could reduce sleep: study
Rising global temperatures could reduce the amount of sleep people get every year, according to a new study.
Canada
-
'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two cases were confirmed in this country.
-
Why Canada is banning Huawei from participating in Canada's 5G network
The federal government is banning China's Huawei Technologies from involvement in Canada's 5G wireless network. Huawei and the Chinese government have vigorously denied accusations around the danger of spying, saying that the company poses no security threat.
-
After N.B. police killing of Indigenous woman, chiefs demand systemic racism inquiry
The results of the recent coroner's inquest into the police killing of an Indigenous woman in New Brunswick demonstrate the urgent need for an Indigenous-led inquiry into systemic racism, according to the six chiefs of the Wolastoqey Nation.
-
Costs reach $25.6 million for public inquiry into 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia
The public inquiry into Nova Scotia's mass shooting has already cost $25.6 million to investigate the April 18-19, 2020, rampage -- and there are still about five months remaining in its mandate.
-
Royal Military College awards posthumous degrees to four cadets killed in Kingston, Ont.
Four Royal Military College cadets who died in a motor vehicle accident in Kingston, Ont. last month were given their degrees posthumously on Thursday and honoured in a memorial put on by friends at the college.
-
Ontario woman says daughter was discriminated against over face mask
An Ontario woman believes her daughter was discriminated against after she was allegedly kicked out of a local activity centre over her choice to wear a face mask.
World
-
UN: 18 million facing severe hunger in West Africa's Sahel
The UN is warning that 18 million people in Africa's Sahel region face severe hunger in the next three months, citing the impacts of Russia's war in Ukraine, the coronavirus pandemic, climate-induced shocks and rising costs.
-
Russia claims to have taken full control of Mariupol
Russia claimed to have captured Mariupol on Friday in what would be its biggest victory yet in its war with Ukraine, following a nearly three-month siege that reduced much of the strategic port city to a smoking ruin, with over 20,000 civilians feared dead.
-
As Biden visits Asia, China launches South China Sea drills
China is holding military exercises in the disputed South China Sea coinciding with U.S. President Joe Biden's visits to South Korea and Japan that are largely focused on countering the perceived threat from Beijing.
-
U.S. House Speaker Pelosi barred from Catholic communion over abortion stance
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can no longer take communion because she supports abortion rights and also publicly invokes her Catholic faith, the archbishop of San Francisco said in a letter released on Friday.
-
Hillary Clinton personally approved plan to share Trump-Russia allegation with the press in 2016, campaign manager says
Hillary Clinton personally approved her campaign's plans in fall 2016 to share information with a reporter about an uncorroborated alleged server backchannel between Donald Trump and a top Russian bank, her former campaign manager testified Friday in federal court.
-
Handling of Buffalo suspect spurs talk of uneven restraint
When police confronted the white man suspected of killing 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket, he was the very poster boy for armed and dangerous, carrying an AR-15-style rifle and cloaked in body armor and hatred.
Politics
-
Decision to ban Huawei and ZTE from 5G wasn't easy, PM Trudeau says
On the heels of news that Canada is banning Huawei Technologies and ZTE from participating in the country’s 5G wireless networks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision wasn't easy to make. The prime minister also defended the timing of the decision, saying that while it will be years before all use of products from these Chinese companies will be outlawed, it's happening before the country is even more interconnected by the next-generation telecommunications infrastructure.
-
Russian vodka, caviar and diamonds on new Canadian sanctions list
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced a fresh wave of sanctions against Vladimir Putin's regime on Friday including a ban on importing Russian vodka, caviar and diamonds. The ban on the import of certain luxury goods from Russia will tighten the net on the country's elite and covers alcoholic drinks, fish and seafood.
-
Trudeau says government will do 'everything we can' to avoid U.S.-style formula shortage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attempted to reassure parents on Friday amid a nationwide shortage of baby formula designed specifically for infants with food allergies.
Health
-
'This is an unusual situation': Feds monitoring monkeypox cases in Canada
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says the federal government is monitoring monkeypox cases and their chains of transmission after two cases were confirmed in this country.
-
Monkeypox outbreak: What is it and how does it spread?
A growing number of countries, including Canada, the U.S., Spain, Portugal, and the U.K, are reporting an unusual outbreak of monkeypox. Here is what we know about this rare virus.
-
African scientists baffled by monkeypox cases in Europe, U.S.
Scientists who have monitored numerous outbreaks of monkeypox in Africa say they are baffled by the disease's recent spread in Europe and North America.
Sci-Tech
-
Pro-Russia online operatives falsely claimed Zelenskyy committed suicide, cybersecurity firm says
Pro-Russia online operatives falsely claimed weeks into Moscow's war against Ukraine that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had committed suicide, as part of an aggressive effort to dent public morale and undermine the Ukrainian government, U.S. cybersecurity firm Mandiant says.
-
Boeing tries to catch up to SpaceX after plenty of drama
Boeing is hoping for success in it second attempt at an uncrewed test flight of its commercial space craft Starliner, hoping a flawless performance will mend its image as the fallen star of human spaceflight.
-
Why Canada is banning Huawei from participating in Canada's 5G network
The federal government is banning China's Huawei Technologies from involvement in Canada's 5G wireless network. Huawei and the Chinese government have vigorously denied accusations around the danger of spying, saying that the company poses no security threat.
Entertainment
-
Prince William and Kate join Tom Cruise on 'Top Gun: Maverick' red carpet
British royalty and Hollywood royalty came together on the red carpet for the charity premiere of the new Tom Cruise movie, "Top Gun: Maverick," on Thursday night.
-
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcome first child
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have welcomed their first child, a source close to the couple confirmed to CNN.
-
Movie reviews: 'Downton Abbey: A New Era' is plucky film meant for fans
This week, pop culture critic Richard Crouse reviews new movies: 'Downton Abbey: A New Era,' 'The Valet' and 'Men.'
Business
-
Canada inflation: How we compare to other G7 nations
With a meeting of G7 finance ministers underway this week, a CTVNews.ca analysis found that while Canadians are feeling the pain of record-high inflation, among G7 nations we are surpassed by Germany, the U.S., and the U.K.
-
Russia to cut Finland's natural gas in latest energy clash
Russia will cut off natural gas to Finland after the Nordic country that applied for NATO membership this week refused President Vladimir Putin's demand to pay in rubles, the Finnish state-owned energy company said Friday, the latest escalation over European energy amid the war in Ukraine.
-
Stakes are high for farmers as 2022 crop shapes up to be most expensive in history
The stakes are high as Canadian farmers take to the fields to plant 2022's crop, which some are saying could find a place in the record books as 'the most expensive ever.'
Lifestyle
-
Canadians are more sensitive to stress than before the pandemic: report
A new report has found that 46 per cent of Canadians are feeling an increased sensitivity to stress than they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting their overall mental health.
-
Ancient gold ring stolen during WWII finds its way back to Greece
A more than 3,000-year-old gold signet ring that was stolen from an Aegean island during the Second World War, crossed the Atlantic, was bought by a Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian scientist and ended up in a Swedish museum has found its way back to Greece.
-
'Holy grail of all finds': Ottawa boy finds gun while magnet fishing in creek
A 12-year-old Ottawa boy is sharing his story after a magnet fishing trip turned up an unexpected find.
Sports
-
Bach says Russia ban is to protect athletes, not punish them
Russian athletes and officials who have been banned from international sporting events because of the war in Ukraine are being protected rather than punished, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said Friday.
-
Rap superstar J. Cole signs with Toronto basketball team
Rap star Jermaine Lamarr Cole -- better known as J.Cole -- has signed with the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League
-
Oilers, Flames alumni look back at last playoff Battle of Alberta: 'A lot of hate'
The 1991 Battle of Alberta in particular was mean, nasty and downright violent.
Autos
-
Mercedes just sold the world's most expensive car for $142 million
Mercedes-Benz confirmed on Thursday that it recently sold the world's most expensive car. A very rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe that had been kept in the German automaker's collection was sold to a private owner for €135 million, the equivalent of $142 million.
-
Hyundai announces $5.5B electric vehicle plant in Georgia
Hyundai Motor Group confirmed Friday the company will spend $5.5 billion on a huge electric vehicle plant near Savannah that will employ thousands -- a deal Georgia's governor called the largest economic development project in the state's history.
-
Aston Martin cleared of suspicion it copied Red Bull design
Formula One team Aston Martin was cleared of suspicion that it had broken competition rules by allegedly copying a design from a Red Bull car, FIA said Friday.
