Student Affairs Announcement
Moderna COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccine (original strain/Omicron BA.4/5) for adolescents and adults aged 12 and above
{{ $t('FEZ002') }} Student Affairs Office|
| Subject: | Starting November 18, 2022, Moderna COVID-19 bivalent vaccine (original strain/Omicron BA.4/5) booster shots will be available for adolescents and adults aged 12 and above. Please refer to the details below for your reference. |
| Details: |
| 1. | In accordance with the letter from the Department of Secondary Education, Ministry of Education, dated November 18, 2022 (Ref: Tai Jiao Guo Shu Xue Zi Di 1110160491). |
| 2. | As per our department's letter dated November 4, 2022 (Ref: Tao Jiao Ti Zi Di 1110105750), starting November 1, 2022, the Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 bivalent vaccine (original strain/Omicron variant BA.1) booster shots were extended to adolescents aged 12 to 17. The interval between the booster dose and the last dose of the primary series, primary booster, or previous booster dose should be at least 12 weeks (84 days). |
| 3. | Furthermore, the 8th expert meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on October 27, 2022, recommended the following: |
| (1) | The Moderna COVID-19 bivalent vaccine (original strain/Omicron BA.4/5) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 26, 2022, for individuals aged 12 and above. Subsequently, depending on vaccine supply, it will be provided as a booster shot for individuals aged 12 and above. |
| (2) | In the future, if the Moderna COVID-19 bivalent vaccine (original strain/Omicron BA.4/5) is approved by the FDA for children aged 6 to 11 as a booster dose, it can be administered to children aged 6 to 11 who have completed their primary series with Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, or who have received a Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose. For children aged 5 but not yet 6, it is recommended to complete their booster dose with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. |
| 4. | Based on this, the first phase of the vaccination program for the aforementioned vaccine will commence on November 18, 2022, providing one booster dose for adolescents and adults aged 12 and above (booster vaccinations for children aged 6 to 11 will be announced and implemented in the second phase). The details for the vaccination program for individuals aged 12 and above are as follows: |
| (1) | This vaccine comes in multi-dose vials (2.5 ml/vial). For adolescents and adults aged 12 and above, each dose is 0.5 ml [containing 25 micrograms (mcg) of original strain mRNA and 25 mcg of Omicron variant BA.4/5 mRNA]. The route of administration is intramuscular injection. It can be administered concurrently with other vaccines (in separate sites) or at any interval. |
| (2) | According to Taiwan's ACIP recommendations, the interval between doses should be at least 12 weeks (84 days) from the last dose of the primary series/primary booster or the previous booster dose. Additionally, individuals who have already received a bivalent vaccine (Omicron BA.1) as a booster can opt to receive another dose of this vaccine after an interval of at least 12 weeks (84 days) from their last booster, based on their individual risk assessment. |
| (3) | Please remind parents/guardians that after vaccination, they can scan the QR code on the poster or information sheet provided by the vaccination site to join Taiwan V-Watch, a vaccine inoculation and health monitoring system. By having parents/guardians monitor their children's post-vaccination status, we can enhance COVID-19 vaccine safety surveillance, related care, and response efficiency. |
| 5. | For information on COVID-19 vaccination in our city, please visit the homepage of the Taoyuan City Government Department of Health's COVID-19 Information Station (https://covid-19.tycg.gov.tw/) > Vaccine Inoculation > Contracted Institutions. Additionally, a list of contracted medical institutions in our city offering Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 bivalent vaccine (original strain/Omicron variant BA.1) and Moderna COVID-19 bivalent vaccine (original strain/Omicron BA.4/5) clinic hours (November 21-28, 2022) is available on the homepage of the Taoyuan City Government Department of Health (https://dph.tycg.gov.tw/index.jsp) > Thematic Zones > Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens (COVID-19) > COVID-19 Vaccines. |
| 6. | Furthermore, given that COVID-19 vaccination programs have been implemented globally for nearly two years, only a portion of the population has not completed their primary series. In response to the prevalence of variants, vaccine manufacturers have been diligently developing and producing next-generation vaccines for booster use. It is possible that primary vaccine doses may no longer be supplied in the future. Therefore, please strengthen publicity efforts to encourage students and staff who have not yet completed their primary series to get vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid a future shortage of available vaccine types. |
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{{ $t('FEZ004') }} 2022-11-24|
{{ $t('FEZ005') }} 960|