Moderna’s Covid-19 mRNA vaccine is likely to offer protection of up to a couple of years, its chief executive said, even though more data is still needed to make a definitive assessment.

“The nightmare scenario that was described in the media in the spring with a vaccine only working a month or two is, I think, out of the window,” Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said at an event organised by financial services group Oddo BHF.

“The antibody decay generated by the vaccine in humans goes down very slowly [...] We believe there will be protection potentially for a couple of years.”