The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday issued emergency use authorizations for updated Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna as booster vaccines, Reuters reports.

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Omicron - the new 941 coronavirus variant

Bivalent vaccines contain two components of the messenger RNA (mRNA) of the coronavirus, one against the original strain of Covid-19 and the other against the existing BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of the Omicron variant.

Pfizer and BioNTech begin Phase II trial of Omicron vaccine

The Pfizer/BioNTech booster is approved as a single dose for people aged 12 and over, while the Moderna booster is approved for people aged 18 and over, BNR reported.

The FDA said the boosters are expected to provide increased protection against the Omicron variant based on available data.

The drug agency added that previous monovalent booster vaccines will no longer be approved for people 12 years of age and older.

Omicron - the new coronavirus variant

covid vaccines