The United Kingdom was originally the first country to approve the COVID-19 vaccine back in late 2020—so it serves as no surprise that they’re the first to approve this variation of it.
The Omicron variant took hold of the fears of people all around the world when it emerged. While it didn’t spark the same level of panic that the coronavirus itself lent, it nevertheless took on its own version of that. And just like there was a large request for a vaccine the first time around, so too was the case for Omicron.
Moderna, the company responsible for making one of the more popular and supposedly effective COVID-19 vaccines, has worked tirelessly to try and roll out the Omicron variant. After lab reports showed that it had brought about a “strong immune response” in test subjects, the UK was the first country to jump on board.
“The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives,” June Raine, the Chief Executive of MHRA, said in a statement.
Raine continued: “What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armoury to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.”