Lodi Valley News.com

Complete News World

What and how does the bivalent vaccine work?  – Health

What and how does the bivalent vaccine work? – Health

The person is receiving the Pfizer vaccine
COVID vaccination begins February 27 after priority groups (Photo: Jair Amaral/EM/DA Press)

On 11/22/2022, the Board of Directors of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved the temporary and emergency use of the two bivalent vaccines against COVID-19 from Pfizer (Comirnaty). Approved vaccines are used as a booster shot in the population 12 years of age or older. Bivalent vaccines provide protection against more than one strain of the virus. They are able to immunize against more than one version of the virus at one time. For this purpose, mRNA technology with two genetic codes is used, allowing rapid updating of vaccine formulations when necessary.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is a bivalent vaccine and contains a mixture of the coronavirus strains – the original variant and the micronized BA.4 and BA.5.
Therefore, the Bivalent vaccine Vaccination is offered against more than one strain of coronavirus. The first version made by Pfizer was designed using the original strain of Sars-CoV-2, micron BA.1, which quickly spread around the world.
Now, starting February 27, groups designated by the Department of Health will receive a booster dose of the bivalent COVID vaccine from Pfizer.

Read also:

COVID-19: A new variant is spreading in the UK



Bivalent vaccines against Covid disease are part of the second generation of vaccines against the disease. And know that updating vaccines is normal. Just think of influenza, an acute respiratory infection, caused by an influenza virus, with a high probability of transmission, with four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. Seasonal epidemics, influenza A virus is responsible for major epidemics. Therefore, there is a flu vaccination campaign every year.

With COVID, this process waited until the strain was proven to be dominant, as it is with the micron. South Africa was the first country to report to the World Health Organization (WHO), on November 24, 2021. Today, Its sub-variants are BA.1 and BA.5 They are the most traded.

Anvisa has already released the characteristics of its approved vaccines – compared to Pfizer’s bivalent vaccines:

  • It has a gray cover. The label will have the following identification: Comirnaty® Bivalent BA.1 or Comirnaty® Bivalent BA.4 / BA.5.
  • Each vial contains six doses and the vaccine must not be diluted.
  • Indicated for the population from 12 years old.
  • Reinforcement is indicated. It must be applied three months after the previous primary or booster vaccine series.
  • Shelf life is 12 months, when stored at -80°C to -60°C or -90°C to -60°C.
  • It can be stored in the refrigerator, between 2 and 8°C, for a single period of up to ten weeks, not exceeding the original expiry date.

international scenario

Comirnaty’s bivalent BA1 vaccine has been approved in 35 countries.

The Comirnaty Bivalent BA4/BA5 vaccine has been approved in 33 countries, such as Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia and Singapore, among others, as well as the European Union.

External experts

To analyze the two bivalent vaccines, Anvisa also had a group of external specialists from the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP), the Brazilian Society of Infectious Medicine (SBI), the Brazilian Society of Immunization (SBIM) and the Brazilian Society of Pulmonology. and Phthisology (SBPT), which issued an advisory opinion to assist the agency’s analytical work.