A vaccine designed to target two different forms of Covid has been approved by the UK regulators for use as booster jabs in people over the age of 18.
It is now up to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization JCVI to decide whether it will be used in the planned autumn booster programme, which is expected to begin in September.
The vaccine, made by the US firm Moderna, does not only target the original coronavirus as it is for vaccines currently in use, but is specifically designed to target the Omicron variant BA. This variant fuelled a wave of Covid in the UK last winter.
The MHRA chief executive, June Raine, said he was pleased to announce the approval of the Moderna bivalent booster vaccine, which was found in the clinical trial to provide a strong immune response against the Omicron BA. The original strain of 2020 is the same as well as the 1 variant.
The first generation of Covid 19 vaccines being used in the UK continues to provide important protection against the disease and save lives. Bivalent vaccine is a sharp tool in our armoury to protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.
We have a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy in place for monitoring the safety of all UK approved Covid 19 vaccines and this will include the vaccine approved today.