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Review
. 2024 Jan 6;12(1):57.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines12010057.

Responses to Common Misconceptions Relating to COVID-19 Variant-Adapted mRNA Vaccines

George Kassianos  1   2 , Pauline MacDonald  3 , Ivan Aloysius  4 , Shanti Pather  5
Affiliations
Review

Responses to Common Misconceptions Relating to COVID-19 Variant-Adapted mRNA Vaccines

George Kassianos et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

The evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the waning of immunity over time has necessitated the use of booster doses of original coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. This has also led to the development and implementation of variant-adapted messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines that include an Omicron sub-lineage component in addition to the antigen based on the wild-type virus spike protein. Subsequent emergence of the recombinant XBB sub-lineages triggered the development of monovalent XBB-based variant-adapted mRNA vaccines, which are available for vaccination campaigns in late 2023. Misconceptions about new variant-adapted vaccines may exacerbate vaccine fatigue and drive the lack of vaccine acceptance. This article aims to address common concerns about the development and use of COVID-19 variant-adapted mRNA vaccines that have emerged as SARS-CoV-2 has continued to evolve.

Keywords: BNT162b2; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant; mRNA vaccines; vaccination hesitancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

G.K. is National Immunisation Lead at the Royal College of General Practitioners, President of the British Global & Travel Health Association, a board member of the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI), and chair of the Pan-European Influenza Group RAISE. G.K. has lectured at meetings organized by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), ESWI, the UK National Health Service, and various universities, and has participated, chaired, or lectured at meetings and/or participated in research organized by MSD, Sanofi Vaccines, CSL Seqirus, Pfizer, GSK, AstraZeneca, Valneva, Janssen, Novavax, BioNTech, Moderna, and Takeda. P.M. has supported the following companies with education and consultancy: MSD, Sanofi Vaccines, CSL Seqirus, Pfizer, GSK, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Novavax, and VBI. I.A. has no conflicts to disclose. S.P. is an employee at BioNTech SE and has securities from BioNTech SE.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Development and approval process for original and variant-adapted COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; CMC, chemistry, manufacturing, and control; mRNA, messenger RNA; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; VOC, variant of concern.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Responses to common misconceptions around COVID-19 mRNA variant-adapted vaccines covered in this review. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; mRNA, messenger RNA; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Frequently asked questions: rationale for variant-adapted vaccines. CMC, chemistry, manufacturing, and control; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; mRNA, messenger RNA; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Phylogenetic relationships of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Adapted from Nextstrain [45].
Figure 5
Figure 5
Frequently asked questions: populations of interest. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; mRNA, messenger RNA; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Frequently asked questions: vaccine safety. COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; mRNA, messenger RNA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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