New booster vaccine approved in Australia
An additional vaccine has been granted provisional approval to be used as a booster shot by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
The TGA announced that a vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, called Vaxzevria, could be administered to individuals over the age of 18 who are yet to receive their third, ‘booster’ dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
However, the TGA continues to recommend that Australians choose Moderna or Pfizer over the newly-approved jab.
“The third (booster) dose may be given if clinically indicated with reference to official guidance regarding the use of a heterologous third dose (e.g. mRNA vaccine),” it said in a statement.
“This means that the decision to receive Vaxzevria as a booster must be made in consultation with a medical professional.”
Dr Vinod Balasubramaniam, a virologist from Monash University’s Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Malaysia, said the addition of a third vaccine is particularly important as the world battles the Omicron variant.
“It’s important to increase the vaccine portfolio in the fight against COVID-19, in particular against the current highly contagious Omicron variant, a multi-pronged approach is definitely needed for us to win the war,” he said.
“Diversifying the vaccine portfolio in including AstraZeneca vaccines as part of the booster dose regimen is important, especially when used as a mix-and-match for individuals who experienced adverse reactions with their primary vaccinations with other types of vaccines.”
Dr Andy Files, a senior research fellow at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research within the University of Tasmania, agreed and noted that the mix-and-match approach has been proved as an effective way of protecting people from the virus.
“From a basic immunology perspective, swapping vaccines should help to focus the immune response on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein encoded in the vaccines, rather than the other components of the vaccine, thus providing the intended boost in protection against the coronavirus,” he explained.
“The AstraZeneca booster will be most useful for people that had strong side effects to the mRNA vaccines or have histories of myocarditis or pericarditis.”
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