Pfizer and Moderna start testing omicron booster | Biden withdraws vaccine mandate | Next variant will be even more contagious

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE Fri, Jan 28, 2022 EDITOR'S NOTE Think a friend or colleague should be getting this newsletter? Share this link with them to sign up.   Leading Covid vaccine makers, Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna, started testing their omicron-specific shots in people earlier this week. If all goes well, Pfizer and BioNTech's should be available as early as March with Moderna to follow shortly after. Spencer Kimball has those details.  Biden's vaccine mandates were dealt another blow in the courts this week.    WHO said the next variant we'll all be talking about will likely be even more contagious than omicron. Wouldn't you know there's one currently circulating in Sweden that might fit that description. The BA.2 variant is gaining traction just as some nations in Europe reopen bars and restaurants. Holly Ellyatt and I take a look at what's going on across the globe.   Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to me at dawn.kopecki@nbcuni.com. Dawn Kopecki | Health & Science Editor @Dawn_Kopecki Dawn Kopecki | Health & Science Editor @Dawn_Kopecki Clinical trials start for omicron boosters  Pfizer and BioNTech started testing an omicron-specific vaccine on Monday, followed by Moderna on Wednesday. The vaccine makers are racing to produce the new shots as omicron spreads like wildfire across the globe – with a proven ability to evade much of the protection provided by the original vaccines. Breakthrough infections have spiked under the omicron wave, but the current vaccines still hold up well against hospitalizations and death. Scientists worry that may not be the case in the future as the virus continues to mutate, thus the need for the new vaccines. -Spencer Kimball The next Covid variant will be more contagious than omicron The World Health Organization had some news that seemed to take a lot of people by surprise, although it shouldn't. The next Covid variant that will grab world attention will be even more contagious than the already highly transmissible omicron variant. It "will be more fit, and what we mean by that is it will be more transmissible because it will have to overtake what is currently circulating," said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Covid-19 technical lead. "The big question is whether or not future variants will be more or less severe." -Dawn Kopecki New BA.2 Covid variant is spreading fast in parts of Europe Speaking of more contagious, Dr. Scott Gottlieb said a new variant circulating in Denmark, UK, India, Sweden and Singapore appears to be more transmissible than omicron. The new BA.2 strain is a sublineage of omicron, meaning it further mutated from omicron instead of, say, delta. Sweden published data this week saying the so-called stealth variant now accounts for 45% of all infections there, up from 25% three weeks ago. Gottlieb, who ran the FDA and now sits on multiple biotech boards including Pfizer's, said the latest data doesn't indicate that it's more severe. Fingers crossed. -Dawn Kopecki  Covid rules are being dropped in Europe despite high omicron spread Some European nations are reopening bars, restaurants and museums as well as dropping mask mandates as the world enters its third year of the pandemic. England put an end to the legal requirement for face coverings and Covid passes to access certain venues as the government relaxed its so-called "Plan B" measures that were enacted before Christmas. In the Netherlands — which had some of the toughest rules in Europe, with the country going into a partial lockdown before the holiday period — bars, restaurants and museums were allowed to reopen earlier this week. -Holly Ellyatt OSHA withdraws Covid vaccine mandate for businesses after losing at Supreme Court The Occupational Safety and Health Administration formally withdrew its vaccine and testing mandate for businesses this week, dealing another blow to President Joe Biden's Covid mitigation plans. The move came after the Supreme Court ruled against the agency earlier this month, saying in a 6-3 decision that it had exceeded its authority. Under the defunct rule, businesses with 100 or more employees had to ensure their employees were fully vaccinated, or submitted a negative Covid test weekly. While it's off the table, Biden's desire to adopt broad-sweeping vaccine mandates hasn't gone away. So it's not likely to be the last we hear of it. -Spencer Kimball JOIN US Register Now Join top C-level executives in healthcare and other industries as part of CNBC Councils, which bring together C-suite leaders (including  CIOs, CHROs, CFOs, and more) in key functional areas to exchange ideas with peers; leverage trusted, curated information from CNBC; and raise their profiles through thought leadership opportunities. Our more than 200 member companies include: Anthem, Merck, Prudential, Cigna, Abbott, UnitedHealthcare, Johnson & Johnson, Rite-Aid, Eli Lilly, Quest, Cedars-Sinai, and more. Apply to see if you qualify. CONTRIBUTORS Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel   Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy CNBC Events   © 2022 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. 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