A government vaccine advisory panel has recommended that the government authorize the use of an updated version of a Covid vaccine targeting the Omicron Covid variant. A statement late on Monday noted that the panel members considering the application from distributor Fosun Pharma believed that the benefits of authorizing the updated vaccine for emergency use outweigh the risks. Other government advisers had earlier recommended that the updated vaccine, known as a "bivalent" jab, would be suitable as an alternative for booster doses for people aged 12 and above. The jab targets the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants, but experts say it may trigger broader immunity against different strains compared to the original version. BioNTech's bivalent vaccine has already been approved for use in countries such as the United States and UK, as well as the European Union.
