Bivalent boosters: Aotearoa’s winter defence against COVID-19

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In print

Vaccines

Bivalent boosters: Aotearoa’s winter defence against COVID-19

10 May 2023

By Mika Hiroi and Cayley Ingham

Wednesday 10 May 2023, 12:35 AM

A “winter wave” of COVID-19 is likely to burden the healthcare system [Image: Osman Rana on Unsplash]

Changes to the COVID-19 booster can be thought of as similar to the way the influenza vaccine is changed annually – the bivalent booster is the first step along that road

Key points, COVID-19 variants are increasingly immune-evasive. Waning immunity from previous boosters has necessitated the introduction of a bivalent COVID-19 v, Pract Green w Pale Yellow

COVID-19

References

Tenforde MW, Weber ZA, Natarajan K, et al. Early estimates of bivalent mRNA vaccine effectiveness in preventing COVID-19-associated emergency department or urgent care encounters and hospitalizations among immunocompetent adults – VISION Network, Nine States, September–November, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71(5152):1616–24.
Surie D, DeCuir J, Zhu Y, et al. Early estimates of bivalent mRNA vaccine effectiveness in preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalization among immunocompetent adults aged ≥65 years – IVY Network, 18 States, September 8–November 30, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71(5152):1625–30.
Lin D-Y, Xu Y, Gu Y, et al. Effectiveness of bivalent boosters against severe Omicron infection. N Engl J Med 2023;388:764–66.
Link-Gelles R, Ciesla AA, Roper LE, et al. Early estimates of bivalent mRNA booster dose vaccine effectiveness in preventing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection attributable to Omicron BA.5- and XBB/XBB.1.5-related sublineages among immunocompetent adults – increasing community access to testing program, United States, December 2022–January 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72(5):119–24.

How to Treat

+How to treat

For older people and frail people, the long-term benefit of medicines reduces and the potential for harm from adverse effects increases. When the benefit–risk balance changes in this way, medicine review and optimisation are important to simplify the therapeutic regimen, reduce inappropriate medicines and minimise risks. In this article, pharmacist prescriber Linda Bryant uses two case studies to illustrate important considerations during medicine reviews

Wednesday 28 May 2025, 12:50 AM