UK okays Omicron booster, first country to do so: What we know so far

Covid vaccines like Covisheild, Covaxin, Sputnik and others are given for protection against the virus. But, the UK has become the first country to authorise a Covid-19 booster dose made specifically for the Omicron variant.

In late 2020, UK became the first country to approve a Covid vaccine. Now, in 2022, it has become the first country to approve a variant-specific vaccine. The Moderna vaccine will target both Omicron and also the original virus.

What we know about the vaccine: Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK’s medicine regulator, has given a green signal to a bivalent vaccine that has been produced by a US-based drug company, Moderna (MRNA.O).

MHRA has currently given conditional approval to the vaccine which is to be used as a booster for adults only.

The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced that starting September, use of variant-adapted vaccines would be promoted via the country’s booster campaign.

The shot can lead to usual, mild post-vaccination side effects.

Why it was needed: In June, Moderna explained that the vaccine provides a strong immune response against Omicron BA.1 as well as Covid-19 infection according to the trial data. 

Moderna further added that when given as the fourth dose, the vaccine raised virus-neutralizing antibodies by eight-fold against Omicron.

For the study, the vaccine was given to more than 800 people as a fourth dose.

Another good news: The shot of Moderna vaccine also generates a good immune response against other Omicron strains including BA.4 and BA.5, which are responsible for outbreaks in Europe and United States. 

"What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armoury to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve," MHRA Chief Executive, June Raine said in a statement.

Moderna has also mentioned that this bivalent vaccine provides better protection against Omicron than their original vaccine called Spinevax.

What about other countries? Moderna is trying to seek approvals for the use of their bivalent vaccine in Australia and Canada. The approvals in both countries are yet to be given.

Meanwhile, the European medical agency is also studying another adapted vaccine by Pfizer which has not yet been approved.