CNBC, he said, "I think that is a reasonable scenario." “There’s an 80% chance that as omicron evolves or SarsCov-2 virus evolves, we are going to see less and less virulent viruses," the Moderna CEO said.
Bancel also said that there’s another “20% scenario where we see a next mutation, which is more virulent than omicron." “I think we got lucky as a world that omicron was not very virulent, but still are we see thousands of people dying every day around the planet because of omicron," he added.
Earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had announced that it has granted full approval to Moderna's Covid-19 "Spikevax" vaccine, which had previously received an emergency use authorization in the United States. "The public can be assured that Spikevax meets the FDA's high standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality required of any vaccine approved for use in the United States," acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock had said. "The FDA's approval of Spikevax is a significant step in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, marking the second vaccine approved to prevent Covid-19," Woodcock had noted.
The full approval of the Moderna vaccine is for individuals aged 18 or older. The Moderna vaccine received an emergency use authorization in December 2020.