US Government Researches 'Universal' COVID Vaccine Effective Against All Variants Including Delta and Omicron

US Army Research Institute Completes Monkey Trials, Now Conducting Phase 1 Human Clinical Trial
"Short-term Appearance Unlikely... Hurry Up with Existing Vaccine Inoculation"

On the 23rd (local time), protesters marched in front of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the capital of the United States, to protest against the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination and mask-wearing. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The U.S. government is developing a 'universal' vaccine effective against any COVID-19 variant.

On the 27th (local time), according to U.S. ABC News and other foreign media, Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), stated at a press conference the day before, "Since there have been five COVID-19 virus variants?Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron?an innovative approach is necessary." He emphasized the need for a new vaccine that can respond to any variant, as the effectiveness of existing vaccines decreases with each variant.

ABC News reported that the U.S. government is aggressively pursuing research on a 'universal' COVID-19 vaccine that provides the same effectiveness against any variant. It is expected that the vaccine will be developed using the genetic code common to COVID-19 variants.

Director Fauci has also provided $43 million (approximately 51.7 billion KRW) in grants to several research institutions for this purpose. According to ABC News, research teams at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Duke University, University of Washington, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and University of Wisconsin-Madison are already conducting related studies.

The industry is also taking action. Moderna CEO St?phane Bancel hinted in a statement that beyond researching Omicron-specific booster shots, there is potential to develop vaccines capable of responding to at least two types of COVID-19 variants.

The U.S. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is reportedly leading this research. They have already confirmed effectiveness in experiments on monkeys and are conducting Phase 1 clinical trials on humans.

In an interview with ABC, researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expressed hope that the 'universal' vaccine under development will be effective not only against COVID-19 but also diseases such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

However, some opinions suggest that the arrival of a 'universal' vaccine is still a distant prospect. Director Fauci cautioned, "Please do not expect it to appear literally within 1 to 2 months," and urged, "It is still necessary to receive existing vaccines that can significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19."