BOSTON (WHDH) - As the new variant of the coronavirus spreads to the Northeast, a massive vaccination campaign is turning into a race against time.
The head of the White House’s Operation Warp Speed had suggested that doses of the Cambridge-based Moderna vaccine would be just as effective in people 18 to 55 if cut in half. However, the Food and Drug Administration says this could be dangerous.
“Without appropriate data supporting such changes in vaccine administration, we run a significant risk of placing public health at risk,” the FDA released in a statement.
This comes as concerns rise in Massachusetts after the new variant of the virus was detected in nearby New York.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that a man connected to a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs has tested positive for the variant. He is recovering.
Three more coronavirus cases have been tied to that same jewelry store but doctors do not know yet if they’re battling that variant.
Experts believe the variant is more contagious but not necessarily more dangerous.
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