COVID vaccine

Age-specific recommendations on vaccine type

Primary vaccination

• 6m - 4Y: infant dose of Pfizer BioNTech (Comirnaty® 3 micrograms) is recommended.
• 5 - 11Y: paediatric formulation of Pfizer BioNTech (Comirnaty®10). Comirnaty® Original/Omicron BA.4/5 (5/5 micrograms), the bivalent vaccine targeting the latest variant, may be used when this vaccine is deployed.
• 12 - 17Y: The adult/adolescent (30 micrograms) dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine (Comirnaty®). Although Moderna products are approved in this age group, Pfizer is currently preferred due to a lower reported rate of myocarditis. AstraZeneca vaccine is not available anymore. When mRNA vaccines are not considered clinically suitable, Novavax COVID-19 vaccine.
• >18Y: a full booster dose of the bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (0.5ml or 25 + 25 micrograms of Spikevax® bivalent Original/Omicron) or the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine (0.3ml or 15 + 15 micrograms of Comirnaty® Original/Omicron) should be offered when someone attends for primary vaccination.
• Pregnant women in eligible groups

Based on the JCVI advice, the preference is to use the bivalent mRNA vaccines containing the latest variant (currently BA.4/5), however using a bivalent with a previous variant (such as BA.1) or full dose mRNA
vaccine (Pfizer BioNTech 30 micrograms) may be used if there would otherwise be a delay in vaccination.