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The adapted vaccines provide better protection against the variants currently in circulation (symbol image)
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The EU medicines agency Ema now recommends the corona vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna against the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 for initial vaccinations as well.
The vaccines are not only suitable for booster vaccinations, but also for basic immunization, Ema said.
New data therefore indicate that the vaccines produce a good immune response in people who have not yet been vaccinated and who have not yet been infected with the coronavirus.
The adapted versions of the vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna are so-called bivalent corona vaccines.
They are aimed both at defending against the original form of the coronavirus and at the most recently dominant subtypes of the omicron variant.
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The agent therefore still contains so-called mRNA, which conveys the blueprint for the spike protein of the coronavirus.
The vaccine causes body cells to produce this virus protein for a short time so that the immune system can train its defense against it.
However, the spike protein is not identical in every virus variant.
Especially in the case of the omicron sublines, it differs significantly from the original form.
In addition, the blueprint of the original spike protein is also included in the remedies.
Because nobody knows whether future Sars-CoV-2 variants might again have a spike protein that is more similar to the original version than that of BA.1 or BA.4 and 5.
The vaccinations not only cause the immune system to form antibodies against Sars-CoV-2, which prevent the virus from entering the body.
They also trigger the formation of so-called B and T cells, which provide immune memory.
These T-cells slow down the spread of the infection in the body and prevent a serious progression of the disease.
The adapted vaccines have been approved in the EU since September and October, but so far only for booster vaccinations.
The security of the adapted vaccines is "comparable to that of the original mRNA vaccines," the Ema now explained.
She recommends using the vaccines in adults and children for initial vaccinations.
The EU countries could now decide for themselves whether they want to use the modified vaccines as a basic vaccination.
jae/AFP/dpa
