Status: 12.09.2022 6:11 p.m
The European health authority EMA has issued a recommendation for a new omicron booster: The bivalent vaccine from BioNTech/Pfizer is intended to protect against the prevailing subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
The European Union Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the approval of a new Covid-19 booster from BioNTech/Pfizer. The so-called bivalent vaccine targets both the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants and the original strain of the coronavirus.
According to the EMA, the approval of this vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer is once again expanding the vaccination arsenal in order to be able to protect against Covid-19 in view of the approaching autumn and winter. The final release for use of the vaccine in the EU is still subject to official approval by the European Commission, which is expected shortly.
First Omikron booster already approved
On September 1, the EMA approved the first corona vaccines adapted to the omicron variant: two vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, which, however, target the omicron subvariant BA.1.
The subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are currently prevalent worldwide; they caused the most recent corona waves in Europe and the USA in the past few months.