MODERNA CEO SAYS PEOPLE MAY NEED ANOTHER BOOSTER IN FALL OF 2022

A pharmacist holds a vial of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine in West Haven, Connecticut, U.S., February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar

The effectiveness of COVID-19 boosters is likely to wane in the coming months, and people may need another shot in the fall of 2022, Moderna Inc CEO Stephane Bancel told a conference on Thursday on health conference organized by Goldman Sachs.

Bancel said the company is working on a vaccine candidate for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, but it is unlikely to be available in the next two months.

I still believe we're going to need boosters in the fall of '22 and forward," Bancel said.

His comments on needing a fourth shot come on the back of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett citing a study on Tuesday that a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold a week after the shot is administered.

Moderna, which benefits by repeat inoculations, during its third quarter earnings results said commercial booster market sales could be up to $2 billion in the United States in 2022