Moderna argues for boosters while protection from severe disease is high

Moderna waded into the booster debate Wednesday, with new data from its Phase III COVE study showing increasing breakthrough infections with time from vaccination. However, given that protection against severe disease remained high, others might argue against an urgent need to boost.

Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) reported 88 breakthrough cases a median of eight months after volunteers received the first dose of the company’s vaccine, versus 162 cases in those who received their first dose a median of 13 months prior. The case numbers, which derived from 14,746 volunteers, translate to 49.0 vs. 77.1 cases per 1,000 person-years, respectively, and a 36% lower incidence rate in those vaccinated more recently...