SILVER SPRING, MD - The Walter Reed Army institute of research is expected to announce a vaccine effective against COVID-19 and its variants.

This announcement is expected within the next few weeks.

Defense One says they have been working on the vaccine since 2020, and unlike current vaccines, this one is effective against all potential variants.

The Omicron variant was not part of the initial animal vaccine studies, but it is being tested in the lab against human clinical trial samples.

Phase one was completed earlier this month, and phase two and three trials will also need to happen before results are submitted to the FDA.

Walter Reed Army Institute issued the following response in regards to their announcement:

Army COVID-19 Vaccine Announcement Response
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Publish Date
12/22/2021
SILVER SPRING, Md. - Some recent reports about Walter Reed Army Institute of Research's COVID-19 Vaccine Development have led to inaccurate representations which require clarification. Last week, the preclinical results of the Army COVID-19 vaccine, SpFN, were published in Science Translational Medicine. The Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle platform is designed to protect against an array of SARS-CoV-2 variants and SARS-origin variants but was not tested on the Omicron variant.

Scientists from WRAIR remain encouraged by the early data from preclinical studies and testing against the variants is ongoing in a neutralization assay in the laboratory. Currently WRAIR researchers are analyzing the phase 1 human trials data. Final phase 1 study results will be made public once the analysis is complete and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

For more information contact WRAIR Public Affairs at usarmy.detrick.medcomwrair.mbx.public-affairs@mail.mil.

More information can be found here: https://www.wrair.army.mil/node/657