Two new Covid vaccines could soon be available in Australia, with major pharmaceutical companies submitting applications to the TGA to protect against new strains of the virus.
The new vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, will target the JN. 1 variant, first detected in Australia in late 2023.
According to Australia’s latest Respiratory Surveillance Report, JN. 1 remains the dominant variant in the country.
The JN. 1 variant, which includes the recent FLiRT mutation, is closely related to the KP. 2 and KP. 3, or FLuQE, mutations, so the new vaccines are expected to protect against both.
The Pfizer vaccine is for people 6 months and older, while the Moderna vaccine is designed for people 12 years and older.
The new vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, will target the JN. 1 variant, first detected in Australia in late 2023.
Both vaccines are under review by the TGA and approval is not guaranteed.
Infectious disease doctor Paul Griffin told SBS the vaccines would be a “significant improvement” on what is currently available, as current vaccines are designed for older variants.
“Even though the virus has continued to change, that doesn’t mean at all that these vaccines are not effective. It just means that with each iteration the efficacy decreases relatively to some extent,” he said.
According to the Royal College of General Practitioners, the new variants do not appear to cause more severe disease than other variants, but are thought to be more transmissible than previous variants of the virus.
From January 1 to August 11 this year, 205,830 cases of Covid-19 have been reported, with reported cases stabilizing after a peak of infections in June.
