COVID-19 live updates: City sees fourfold increase in pediatric hospitalizations

The shift reflects the spread of the omicron variant.

ByEmily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Meredith Deliso, and Mary Kekatos
Last Updated: December 27, 2021, 2:21 AM EST

As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe, more than 5.3 million people have died from the disease worldwide, including over 816,000 Americans, according to real-time data compiled by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

About 61.7% of the population in the United States is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Dec 20, 2021, 5:15 AM EST

Moderna says booster increases antibodies, still developing omicron-specific dose

Moderna on Monday said its current vaccine booster increased neutralizing antibodies against omicron within a month of getting the shot.

People stand in a queue for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test in Times Square as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in New York City, Dec. 19, 2021.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters

“The dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant is concerning to all," Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, told ABC News. "However, these data showing that the currently authorized Moderna COVID-19 booster can boost neutralizing antibody levels 37-fold higher than pre-boost levels are reassuring.”

Army medical personel tends to a Covid-19 patient on a ventilator at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn, Mich., Dec., 17, 2021.
Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images

Moderna's currently approved booster is a 50-microgram dose. A 100-microgram dose would increase neutralizing antibodies by 83 times, the company said on Monday.

The company's also working to "rapidly advance" its omicron-specific booster into clinical testing, Bancel said.

“We will also continue to generate and share data across our booster strategies with public health authorities to help them make evidence-based decisions on the best vaccination strategies against SARS-CoV-2,” he said.