Technical bulletin from state health officials gives details on updated vaccine authorization.
On Dec. 8, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued amended Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) to both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech to authorize bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for children down to six months of age. The bivalent vaccines contain two messenger RNA (mRNA) components of SARS-CoV-2 virus; one of the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and the other one in common between the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, bivalent has received authorization as a booster dose for individuals six months to five years and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, bivalent has received authorization as the third dose of the three-dose primary series for children six months to four years.
Also, as of Dec. 8, 2022, monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is no longer authorized for use as the third dose of the three-dose primary series in children six months through four years of age. The monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine remains authorized for administration as the first two doses of the three-dose primary series in individuals six months through four years of age, as a two-dose primary series for individuals five years of age and older, and as a third primary series dose for individuals five years of age and older who have been determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromising health conditions. Administration of monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine used as the third dose of the three-dose primary series in children six months through four years of age is now considered a vaccine administration error and must be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services has issued a technical bulletin summarizing the recent Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine eligibility. Vaccine products made by the same manufacturer should be used for all doses of the primary series.
Visit the technical bulletins web page linked here for full information.