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To: Maine Immunization Program Providers
From: Maine Immunization Program
Subject: COVID-19 Bivalent Vaccine Authorization
Date: September 2, 2022
To better defend against the highly transmissible Omicron variant, Pfizer and Moderna have both updated their COVID-19 vaccinations to target Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, as well as the virus’s original strain. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday, August 31, authorized this booster dose. Following this authorization, on Thursday, September 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)’s booster recommendation. With this authorization, providers may now start administering the booster doses to patients as soon as vaccine is available. Vaccine is set to arrive in the state following the Labor Day weekend.
REMINDER: Monovalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are NO LONGER authorized for use as boosters in people ages 12 years and older.
If you have any appointments scheduled for booster doses using the current COVID-19 vaccine formulations, they will need to be canceled and rescheduled after the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccines arrive at your office.
Recommendations:
- Individuals 18 years of age and older are eligible for a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent if it has been at least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
- Individuals 12 years of age and older are eligible for a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent if it has been at least two months since they have completed primary vaccination or have received the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
The COVID-19 clinical considerations and other resources will be updated on the CDC website in the coming days.
If you have any questions, please contact the Maine Immunization Program at (207) 287-3746 or email ImmunizeME.DHHS@maine.gov.
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