What is the difference between the Pfizer and Moderna Bivalent
What is a Bivalent Vaccine?
What makes Moderna and Pfizer Bivalent vaccines is that they provide protection against the original vaccine as well as the variants as well.
Which Strains do each of the Bivalent vaccines cover?
The Moderna covers the original covid strain as well as the BA.1 variant while the Pfizer Bivalent covers the BA.4 and BA.5 variant. But while Pfizer is geared towards the more recent variants Moderna has also shown an increased immune response to both the original Covid strain as well as a strong response to both BA.4 and BA.5 as well.
Who is eligible for the different Bivalent’s?
This is where the biggest differences lie between Pfizer and Moderna for the Bivalent. While the Moderna is indicated for ages 18 and up, Pfizer is good for ages 12 and up for all Albertans. This will be the first opportunity for your teenager to get the bivalent vaccine which is important with winter coming driving everyone indoors.
How soon since my last shot can I get a booster?
You can get your booster if it has been at least 5 months since your last shot or since you last had Covid. However, for higher risk patients a shorter interval of 3 months can be concerned.
So which one is better?
That is hard to say as Moderna does provide a strong immune response against the variants BA.4 and BA.5 even though it is formulated more towards the BA.1 variant. The Pfizer Bivalent is formulated more against BA.4 and BA.5 which are the more common Covid variants in North America currently.
There is probably a small razor edge advantage to Pfizer Bivalent overall but I feel they are both really similar and ultimately you are in good hands with either one!
