Australian authorities approve Omicron vaccine booster

Australians will soon be able to access a new COVID-19 booster designed specifically for the Omicron variant after the regulator approved the jab on Tuesday.

Moderna’s vaccine is the first bivalent COVID-19 jab approved in Australia. Supplies have been ordered by the government in advance of the approval and are expected to arrive within weeks.

The original Moderna vaccine.Credit:AP

Bivalent design means the vaccine is made to stimulate immunity to both the original version of the virus and the Omicron variant. The vaccine’s intention is to combat Omicron’s ability to evade vaccine-generated antibodies.

Australia is the third country, after the United States and the UK, to approve the new vaccine.

“Following TGA’s provisional approval, the doses will arrive in the country within weeks – allowing Australia to be among the first countries in the world to have access to this next-generation COVID-19 vaccine,” a Moderna spokeswoman told The Age.

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