EU public health guidelines announced as adapted Covid-19 vaccines authorised for use

Adapted versions of the original vaccines Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech) and Spikevax (Moderna) were authorised for use across the EU on September 1 to target the Omicron BA.1 subvariant in addition to the original strain of Covid-19. File picture: Rogelio V Solis/AP

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have provided updated public health recommendations on the use of newly authorised adapted Covid-19 vaccines.

The recommendations come as the adapted versions of the original vaccines Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech) and Spikevax (Moderna) were authorised for use across the EU on September 1 to target the Omicron BA.1 subvariant in addition to the original strain of Covid-19.

The two updated vaccines, Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.1 and Spikevax Bivalent Original/Omicron BA.1, which have been modified to ensure broader optimal protection against Covid-19, are to be used as booster doses only for those who have had an initial vaccine.

The ECDC and EMA advised that these boosters be administered as a priority to those who are more at risk of progressing to severe disease because of certain risk factors such as those aged 60 and over, the immunocompromised, and other vulnerable people over 12 years of age with underlying conditions putting them at higher risk of severe Covid-19.

The recommendations also state that pregnant women and residents and staff in long-term care homes should be prioritised for the adapted vaccines.

Healthcare workers may also be considered, due to their increased exposure, in case of future new waves of the virus.

Timely vaccination

The guidelines, which aim to support the planning of the autumn and winter vaccination campaigns, state that timely vaccination and deployment of boosters ahead of a potential autumn and winter surge of Covid-19 cases is essential for protecting people and stopping health systems from being overwhelmed.

EMA’s executive director Emer Cooke said that the authorisation of the first two adapted vaccines is an important step in the ongoing fight against the pandemic.

“We have a virus that evolves quickly and unpredictably. It is important for the EU to have a broad range of vaccines that are updated with respect to their composition, so member states have more options to meet their needs when designing their vaccination strategies,” she said.

ECDC director Andrea Ammon said: “Member states will now have a wider range of choices to roll out autumn/winter Covid-19 immunisation campaigns aimed at protecting most vulnerable groups and boost their immunity against most recent emerging variants.” 

Dr Ammon said that “original” vaccines remain essential in closing immunisation gaps.

The guidelines noted that further adaptations of the composition of Covid-19 vaccines are inevitable to address existing and future circulating variants.