The adapted corona vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which have so far only been used as booster vaccinations, can also be used as an initial vaccination against the virus. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced this decision in Amsterdam.
These are the so-called bivalent vaccines, which are intended to protect against both the original Sars-CoV-2 and the omicron lines BA.4 and BA.5. Until now, these adapted mRNA vaccines could only be used as a booster vaccination.
After evaluating the data, the EMA has now determined that the vaccine also works in people who have not yet received a corona vaccination and have not yet been infected with the virus. The vaccines are just as safe as the original corona vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, the regulator said. EU countries could now decide for themselves whether to use the modified vaccines as a basic vaccination.
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