Joe Gastaldo, MD, System Medical Director for Infectious Disease, introduces a new word, “bivalent,” and explains what the updated COVID-19 bivalent booster will do.
There is a new COVID-19 booster and it’s a bivalent vaccine. What does that mean? It covers two different strains of SARS Coronavirus-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Half of the dose of the new booster has antibody activity against the original ancestral strain and the other half of the dose induces antibodies against new Omicron sub variants.
Dr. Gastaldo explains that this virus has changed significantly since it first came on the scene in early 2020, and it will continue to evolve.
Want to learn more about common COVID-19 questions? Check our Fast Facts page.
