Key Points
- New vaccine rollout to begin in Australia.
- An Omicron-specific version of the Moderna vaccine will be rolled out from 10 October.
- It is being recommended as a booster shot for those who have not had their third or fourth vaccine dose.
A new Omicron-specific version of the Moderna vaccine is now available in Australia.
A spokesman for the Department of Health confirmed Moderna's Spikevax bivalent vaccine would start to be rolled out from 10 October. It is the first bivalent vaccine (original plus Omicron BA.1) to be made available in the country.
"The Moderna bivalent vaccine will be integrated into the existing COVID-19 booster program and all sites participating in the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out program will have access to this vaccine in coming weeks," the spokesman said.
"People who are due for a COVID-19 dose are encouraged not to wait and to book an appointment as soon as possible, using whichever vaccine is available to them."
In the week up to 4 October, 36,242 cases of COVID-19 were reported across Australia, an average of 5,177 cases per day.
The Spikevax bivalent vaccine is an mRNA vaccine, which uses the same technology as the Pfizer and the original Moderna vaccine.
University of Queensland Associate Professor Paul Griffin, who is an infectious diseases physician, said the word 'bivalent' points to the fact the vaccine has two targets instead of one. It is aimed at stopping infection from the original 2020 COVID-19 variant as well as Omicron variant BA.1.
While the new vaccine only targets BA.1, Professor Griffin said it also appeared to give some extra protection against subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, the main Omicron variant circulating in Australia.
Moderna's new Spikevax bivalent vaccine is available from 10 October 2022. Source: AAP
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) said the Moderna bivalent vaccine showed a small incremental benefit over the original vaccine for Omicron neutralisation.
Professor Griffin said the vaccine should also better protect against new emerging variants in the future.
He noted that other new vaccines are also being developed that will specifically target the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants.
Who should get the new vaccine?
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) provisionally approved Moderna's bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for use as a booster dose in adults 18 years old and over on 29 August.
ATAGI has recommended the vaccine can be used for any booster dose in people aged 18 years or older.
Professor Griffin said anyone who had not had their third or fourth vaccine jabs should consider getting the Moderna bivalent as a booster shot.
"I would certainly encourage everyone who's not completely up to date and not had their four doses - if that's what they are eligible for - if you haven't had that now, it'd be a great time to go and get your booster," he said.
"Not only is the improved vaccine available but we are seeing rates of transmission climb in other parts of the world."
The Department of Health spokesman confirmed the vaccine had been batch tested and said the government had adequate supply to ensure all eligible Australians could receive their booster dose.
"Due to contractual agreements the department does not disclose how many doses of bivalent vaccines Australia has ordered, received or administered by vaccine type," he said.
As of 28 September, 71.8 per cent of Australians had received three vaccine doses but only 40.9 per cent had received a fourth dose.
If people weren't sure whether they were eligible for the new vaccine, Professor Griffin recommended they check their records online to see how many doses they have already had, or speak to their GP or pharmacist.
Professor Griffin said the safety of the bivalent vaccine is the same as the original vaccine, which had been demonstrated to be safe in pregnancy and in those who were immunocompromised.
"Those vulnerable groups obviously should talk to their GP, their specialist ... or their obstetrician ... but we know those vaccines are safe and effective in pregnancy and should certainly be recommended because that is a group in which we don't want to see get COVID," he said.
Health Minister Mark Butler told the ABC on 28 September that Pfizer was also making an Omicron-specific vaccine.
"We have a contract inherited from the former government for substantial supply of Pfizer vaccine next year. We obviously want to make sure that that is the most up-to-date version of the vaccine," he said.
"And in time, over the next few months, they'll move to a version of the vaccine that targets the BA.4, BA.5 subvariant of the Omicron variant, which is the one that you see not only prevalent here in Australia but across the world right now."
For those people who had already had four vaccine doses, Professor Griffin said he wouldn't encourage them to have a fifth dose.
"I wouldn't seek an additional dose at this point in time," he said. "There may be really specific circumstances where that may be appropriate but for most people I wouldn't seek an additional dose.
"If we have another really big wave of transmission and additional doses are required, then that'll be recommended for everybody but that's not the case right now."
The Moderna Spikevax bivalent vaccine will be available at sites listed on the
