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Michigan health officials recommended the updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccines to be used for all doses administered to individuals 6 months of age or older, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Monday.
The monovalent COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for use in the United States, health officials said.
“Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines offer critical protection from severe illness and hospitalizations,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) chief medical executive. “Updating vaccines is a normal part of how we treat and fight diseases like COVID-19. We encourage all residents to stay up to date on all vaccines, including the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine and boosters.”
The original COVID-19 vaccines for most primary and original boosters were monovalent and were created from the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, health officials said.
The updated Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are bivalent – meaning they are created with two strains of the virus and include the newer omicron variant strains, Michigan health experts said.
The bivalent vaccine is the only type of COVID-19 vaccine created to protect against the most dominant strains circulating in the U.S, according to the health department.
Individuals who were previously vaccinated with monovalent COVID-19 vaccine, and who have not received a dose of bivalent vaccine, may receive a single dose of bivalent vaccine, health officials said.
Individuals who have already received a single dose of bivalent may not be currently eligible for another dose, they said.
However, the CDC recommends an additional updated (bivalent) vaccine dose for adults 65 years and older and additional doses for people who are immunocompromised.