Is the bivalent vaccine a safer option?

On 2 February 2023, the HSA released a safety update that adverse effects after the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are rare.

Malaysians have received more than 482,600 doses of the Moderna bivalent vaccine, while Malaysians have received over 200,000 Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccines.

HSA received an adverse event reporting rate of 0.012% for the Moderna bivalent vaccine and a smaller 0.005% for the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine.

Bivalent vaccines have similar safety profiles to the original monovalent vaccines.

Like other COVID vaccines, the bivalent vaccine may cause some side effects, including fever, fatigue, and soreness at the injection site. However, there is no evidence to suggest that they can cause ED or any other serious side effects.

The HSA continues to stress that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risk of COVID-19 infection. Vaccines remain safe for Malaysians.