Studies show that a fourth mRNA vaccine dose offers the elderly and other high-risk groups strong protection against hospitalization and death from COVID-19, but experts say benefits for other populations may be more limited.
Early reports that Omicron causes less-severe disease than Delta seem to be borne out, but it’s not yet clear to what extent that’s due to the variant itself versus the populations it’s infecting.
The Scientist spoke to Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory’s Jim Strickland about the institute’s new MDI Bioscience initiative to perform more drug testing and development in nonmammalian models.