Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel has said in an interview that the drugmaker does not expect any problems in developing a booster shot to protect against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus and could begin work in a few weeks, Reuters reports

Moderna hopes to start clinical trials early next year on a vaccine to protect against the fast-spreading Omicron variant but for now, is focussing on a booster dose of its current mRNA-1273 vaccine.

"It only needs minor adjustments for Omicron. I don't expect any problems," Bancel said in an interview with the Swiss newspaper TagesAnzeiger.

The company is now awaiting important information on the variant to begin development. "That will take another week or two," Bancel said. "It will take a few months before we can produce 500 million doses after [regulatory] approval. But our capacities are much higher today than a year ago," he added.

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