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Press release JCVI ADVISES USE OF ADDITIONAL BIVALENT VACCINE FOR AUTUMN BOOSTER CAMPAIGN Published advice updated to include an additional bivalent vaccine now approved by the Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Following on from the previous advice on which vaccines should be used in this year’s autumn booster programme, the Joint Committee on
Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has updated its published advice to include an additional bivalent vaccine now approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Studies indicate the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine produces a marginally higher immune response against some variants than the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Original ‘wild-type’ vaccine. The
clinical relevance of these small differences is uncertain ‘Bivalent’ vaccines have been developed by global manufacturers since the emergence and dominance of the Omicron variant. These
vaccines are targeted against antigens (substances that induce an immune response) from 2 different COVID-19 strains, or variants. All of the available booster vaccines offer very good
protection against severe illness from COVID-19. As more vaccines continue to be developed, the committee will consider their use in the autumn programme. Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of
COVID-19 immunisation on the JCVI, said: > It is very encouraging that more vaccines continue to become > available and we now have another option to add to the vaccines > already
advised for the autumn booster campaign. > > Winter is typically the time of greatest threat from respiratory > infections. We strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to have
> their booster vaccine this autumn when it is offered. This is our > best defence against becoming severely ill from COVID-19. SHARE THIS PAGE The following links open in a new tab *
Share on Facebook (opens in new tab) * Share on Twitter (opens in new tab) UPDATES TO THIS PAGE Published 3 September 2022