AstraZeneca and Oxford Collaborate on Vaccine Against Omicron

AstraZeneca announced on Tuesday that it is working with the University of Oxford to produce a vaccine for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, joining other vaccine manufacturers looking to create a shot for the variant. A spokesperson for the company stated, "We have taken preliminary steps in collaboration with the University of Oxford towards producing a vaccine for the Omicron variant if needed." Oxford has not yet responded to requests for comment outside of business hours. The Financial Times was the first to report the news, citing Sandy Douglas, a research group leader at Oxford. Douglas told the newspaper that "vaccines based on adenoviruses (like those produced by Oxford/AstraZeneca) can potentially be used to address any new variant more rapidly than some may have realized previously." Laboratory studies last week showed that a mix of antibodies produced by AstraZeneca maintained neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant. Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna had previously announced that they were working on vaccines targeting the Omicron variant. Moderna stated that it hopes to begin clinical trials early next year.