, Columnists
Britain Needs a Better Booster Strategy for Covid
The UK’s successful vaccine rollout is giving way to a scattershot approach.
The National Covid Memorial Wall in London.
Photographer: Mark Kerrison/In PicturesThis article is for subscribers only.
Britain’s record of having the first approved Covid vaccine, and its successful rollout, was a point of pride for outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson. It may now seem like the UK is about to repeat the feat with a new booster shot – but this time the benefits are less clear.
This week, the UK became the first country to approve a new “bivalent” Covid-19 booster — targeting two coronavirus variants. The UK regulator made the decision after Moderna Inc. reported antibody levels against omicron that were 1.69 times higher with the new vaccine than in those given the original booster.