The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Centre for the Prevention and Control of Medicinal Products (ECDC) issued, in a joint statement on Tuesday 6 September, recommendations for the use of vaccines adapted to new variants of concern in this autumn and winter’s Covid-19 vaccination campaigns.
The first two bivalent vaccines have recently been licenced in the EU: a vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and a vaccine developed by Moderna adapted to the original SARS-CoV-2 and the BA.1 sub-variant of concern (see EUROPE 13013/14).
These vaccines have been approved for use as a booster dose in persons aged 12 years and over. However, the EMA and the ECDC recommend that people at risk of developing a severe form of Covid-19, such as adults aged 60 years and over, immunocompromised individuals, those with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women, should be given the appropriate vaccines as a priority. Priority should also be given to nursing home residents and healthcare staff who are more exposed to the virus. In these groups, priority should be given to those who received their last dose more than six months ago.
However, the EMA and ECDC emphasise that timely vaccination is more important than the type of booster dose used, if suitable vaccine doses are not available. Monovalent vaccines continue to offer protection against acute forms of Covid-19.
In addition, the two organisations recommend that consideration be given to combining Covid-19 vaccination campaigns with winter flu campaigns.
Finally, the document contains further considerations on the time between doses and on the vaccination of people who have recently been infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Link to the joint statement: https://aeur.eu/f/2yi (Original version in French by Emilie Vanderhulst)