COVID-19 Bivalent Vaccine Boosters
Over the past couple of years the virus that causes COVID-19 has evolved rapidly. There have been many variants seen across the world. These include both Delta and Omicron. Omicron, which has also evolved to BA.4 and BA.5. BA.5 Is the most common variant that has been circulating around lately. The updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters contain components of the original virus strain and the Omicron variant. The new COVID-19 vaccine boosters were created to give you broad protection against COVID-19, including a more proficient protection against the Omicron variant. As the virus changes and your resistance naturally reduces over time, you may lose some of that protection. The revised (bivalent) booster vaccines are approved to help provide better defense against COVID-19.
The FDA approved bivalent formulations of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for use as a single booster dose at least two months after completing primary or booster vaccination. The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is authorized for use as individual booster dose in people 18 years of age and older. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is approved for use as a single booster dose in people 12 years of age and older. A single booster dose with an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is designed to provide strong protection against COVID-19 and superior protection against COVID-19 caused by the present circulating Omicron variant.
Eligibility for a booster depends on age, when you finished your initial vaccination, and when you had your most recent booster dosage of a monovalent COVID-19 vaccine. Use this CDC online tool to learn when you can receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. If your eligible for the updated COVID-19 vaccine booster, the updated booster you receive does not need to be from the same manufacturer that formulated the vaccine you got for your initial vaccination or prior booster. The new boosters can help decrease the risk of getting sick from COVID-19.
Retrieved on September 20, 2022, from: https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-bivalent-vaccine-boosters
