Update on COVID-19 vaccines targeting new SARS-CoV-2 virus variants

A joint statement on adapted COVID-19 vaccines and considerations for their use during the upcoming fall 2023 vaccination campaigns has been issued today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Currently authorized vaccines continue to be effective at preventing hospitalization, severe disease and death due to COVID-19. However, protection against the virus declines over time as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge.

In line with the outcome of recent meetings of international regulators and the World Health Organization, the EMA’s Emergency Task Force recommends updating vaccines to target XBB strains (a subgroup of Omicron), which have become dominant in Europe and other parts of the world.