Covid-19: Hongkongers to get Moderna bivalent booster option for protection against multiple strains of coronavirus after mid-September
- Moderna executive says Covid-19 has not gone away and booster shots will play major role in protecting public against future variant outbreaks
- New shot is bivalent version targeting Omicron variants as well as original virus and also offers protection against other strains
An Omicron-targeting Covid-19 booster vaccine produced by US pharmaceutical giant Moderna will be available in Hong Kong on a private basis just after mid-September, in time to protect people against a possible surge in infections from the next Lunar New Year celebrations.
“It’s become routine now for people to say I need to get my updated flu vaccine … I think in the future people will also get their updated Covid-19 vaccine [as a routine measure] … Because the virus that’s circulating today is not the same virus that caused the pandemic nearly two, three years ago now,” he said.
Bergstedt added that he expected people to get the vaccine, which would be available from the week of September 18, before Lunar New Year in February to guard against the risk of increased infections similar to what emerged over the same period in 2023.
“We may no longer be in a pandemic, but even the World Health Organization says that the public health importance of continuing to be vaccinated against Covid-19 disease is still very [high],” he added.
At the start of 2021, Covid-19 vaccines based on the original virus strain made respectively by mainland China’s Sinovac and Germany’s BioNTech were rolled out in Hong Kong and fully subsidised by the government vaccination programme.
Government figures show that about 5.85 million – 80.1 per cent – of Hongkongers aged six months or over have been vaccinated with three doses as of September 3.
But only 1.15 million people have received a fourth dose. Only 1,410 shots of Covid-19 vaccine were administered between August 28 and September 3.
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Bivalent Covid vaccines are a formulation containing two virus strains – the original and the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.
The first bivalent jab introduced in Hong Kong was produced by Germany’s BioNTech, and approved for use on people aged 12 or older last December.
Moderna first revealed its plan to offer a bivalent vaccine in Hong Kong in an exclusive interview with the Post in June last year and later announced that the government had granted approval for its use in May.
The Moderna shot is considered suitable for anyone aged 12 or over who has received at least two doses of any Covid-19 vaccine. It is stored in a prefilled syringe, unlike most coronavirus vaccines that are placed in vials.
Bergstedt refrained from making comparisons between the Moderna vaccine and the similar BioNTech version.
“We would like to believe that Moderna’s presence as a scientific leader in Hong Kong will be recognised by [its people] because [they] understand quality,” he said.
“It is true that Moderna is relatively new [to Hong Kong]. We are still building our presence … The Covid-19 vaccine is new, but Moderna’s understanding and its leadership in exploring and understanding mRNA science is not new.”
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Moderna, founded in 2010, is one of the top pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the world. The company specialises in vaccines and medicine that use mRNA technology.
Messenger RNA – known as mRNA – vaccines use a molecule that teaches human cells how to make a protein, which activates the immune system to produce antibodies.
The company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, opened a Hong Kong office last November as part of its expansion into Asia.
He added that Moderna would provide educational support for doctors and nurses, as well as promotional materials.
Since BA.4 and BA.5 became widespread last year, several new subvariants such as XBB.1.5, EG.5 and BA.2.86 have triggered new surges of infections around the world.
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But Bergstedt emphasised the Moderna bivalent vaccine was also effective against subvariants other than BA.4 and BA.5.
“We do have data which shows that it provides a neutralising antibody response beyond BA.4 and BA.5 and provides a broader protection,” he said.
Bergstedt said Moderna also wanted to introduce its new vaccine designed to target XBB subvariants around the world, including Hong Kong.
He said the company also planned to get city approval for its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine and flu shots, as well as for a combined Covid-19, flu and RSV vaccine still in development, within the next five years.
Family doctor Lam Wing-wo, who provides Sinovac vaccines at his clinic, said the incentive to get Covid-19 shots was now “low” and that he administered about 30 doses a month.
“As the demand for the new vaccine may not be very high, doctors may order them on demand based on patients’ request,” he said.
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Private practitioner Dr Chong Man-yuk said he would take demand for the Moderna vaccine and its efficacy into account in any decision on whether to use the booster in his clinics.
Chong said the number of people getting Covid-19 shots had dropped drastically compared with the height of the pandemic.
People who wanted shots mostly opted for the bivalent booster for the third, fourth or fifth dose, he said.
“The rise in infections is quite episodic now. They may feel worried after seeing people around them getting infected. They are mostly elderly aged 60 to 70 or above,” he said.
“Having an extra option is a good thing. But from my perspective, the response to Covid-19 vaccination is lukewarm now.”
