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Moderna has found its Covid-19 vaccination shot to be about 93 per cent effective six months after the second dose, Reuters reported on Aug. 6.

Moderna's chief executive, Stéphane Bancel said that the shot's efficacy showed hardly any change when compared to the 94 per cent efficacy reported in its original clinical trial.

Other vaccines' efficacy waned around 6% every two months

Reuters reported that Moderna data compares favorably to that released by Pfizer and BioNTech last week in which they said their vaccine's efficacy waned around 6% every two months, declining to around 84% six months after the second shot.

Pfizer's chief executive, Albert Bourla, told CNBC about the waning of the shot's efficacy every two months.

Third booster shots

Both Moderna and Pfizer are also pushing for a third booster shot in the coming months, according to Reuters.

This is in reaction to the highly transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, and the Gamma and Beta variants of concern.

Moderna has found robust antibody responses induced against these variants three of its three different booster candidates.

Pfizer, on the other hand, is planning to seek authorization for a third shot this month.

Some countries, such as Germany, France, and Israel, have begun or plan to begin administering booster shots to older or vulnerable people, according to CNA.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a moratorium on booster shots until at least the end of September.

This move is to enable at least 10% of the population of every country to be vaccinated.

As global vaccination supplies are limited, this allows those unvaccinated a shot at getting their doses.

Additionally, the question of whether additional doses of Covid-19 vaccines are safe, effective and necessary is still being debated by public health authorities.

Moderna approved in M'sia

Malaysia's Health Ministry said in a statement on on Thursday (Aug 5) that it has granted conditional approval for the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.

Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine is the seventh to be approved in Malaysia.

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Top image via Getty.

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