A new corona shot from manufacturer BioNTech / Pfizer was approved for use in Europe on Monday. The vaccine was adapted to two omikron variants of the coronavirus. These are the BA.4 and BA5 variant.
The shot is very similar to the manufacturer’s previous vaccine. BioNTech / Pfizer has made some changes so that the vaccine works better against the new variants. “This refurbished vaccine can be used as a booster for anyone aged 12 and over,” explains the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB).
According to the European medicines agency EMA, vaccine manufacturers have provided sufficient evidence for the efficacy, safety and quality of this new version.
The Ministry of Health still does not know exactly when the Dutch will be able to receive the latest version of the vaccines. “As soon as it becomes available, we will start with it,” a spokesperson said. People now receive a booster injection, which works against both the original virus and the BA.1-omikron variant.
According to experts from the Outbreak Management Team (OMT), it doesn’t matter whether people receive the new or pre-existing version of the Pfizer vaccine. They say the differences between the omikron sub-variants are “noticeably smaller” than, for example, the original coronavirus and the first omikron variant. The BA.5 variant has also passed its peak.
A new round of vaccinations is expected in the Netherlands this autumn. The first groups of people may have a new repeat hit against COVID-19 from September 19 halen.
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