The UK is the first country to approve Moderna’s new dual booster vaccine, which offers a “broader immune response” by targeting two covid variants at once - the original virus strain from 2020 and Omicron. It is not yet known who will be offered the booster.
This vaccine, known as a bivalent vaccine due to its ability to target two variants, was approved for use as adult booster doses by the UK Government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It was also endorsed by the Commission on Human Medicines - the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body.
It is called the ‘Spikevax bivalent Original/Omicron’ vaccine and contains two different solutions that each target a different strain. Half of the vaccine, 25 micrograms, will target the original covid-19 variant that emerged in 2020. The other half will target the newer Omicron BA.1 variant.
