Moderna says it will release COVID vaccine this year

Nurse Ellen Quinones prepares for a dose of the Moderna's coronaviruses disease COVID-19 vaccine at the Bathgate Post Office vaccination facility in the Bronx, New York, January 10, 2021, U.S. The vaccine is being finished and is expected to be in the clinic in the coming weeks. In March, we hope to have data to share with regulators to figure out next steps, according to Bancel at the World Economic Forum's virtual Davos Agenda.

Moderna is developing a single vaccine that combines a booster dose against COVID-19 with its experimental flu shot. The combined COVID flu vaccine would be available in some countries by the fall of 2023, at least in some countries, according to the reut.rs 3 FAeyya Bancel.

We want to have a single annual booster so we don't have compliance issues where people don't want to get two to three shots a winter. Many countries offer a third dose of a COVID 19 vaccine to their citizens, particularly to older individuals and those who are immunocompromised, while Israel has started offering its citizens a fourth dose.

Moderna's CEO said in January that people may need a fourth shot in the fall of 2022, as the effectiveness of boosters against COVID 19 is likely to decline over the next few months.

Some disease experts have questioned whether or not additional doses should be available, including the European Union's drug regulator, which has expressed doubts about the need for a fourth booster dose.

A top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said there was no evidence that repeat booster doses would overwhelm the immune system.

There is no evidence that boosters will hinder immune response, so Fauci said the goal should be to have a booster that induces a response against multiple potential variants.