27 th August 2023

On June 16th, 2023, the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided an update COVID-19 vaccines for use for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) causing COVID-19 disease. As of July 17th, 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided updates on the current COVID-19 vaccines schedules for guidance on being up to date for ages 6 months to 4 years, 5 years, 6 years through to 50 years (recommendations for 50 years due to Republic of Marshall Islands [RMIs] Population setting with co-morbidity complications at this age group), and individuals with moderately or severely immunocompromised systems (individuals with cancer, immunosuppressant conditions, autoimmune diseases and recommendations to be inclusive of individuals with diabetes due to RMIs behavioral setting for management of diabetes) . Definition of the term Updated vaccines is sometimes called “bivalent vaccines”. The updated vaccines are called “updated” because they protect against both the original virus that causes COVID-19 and the Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5. The two COVID_19 vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, have developed updated COVID19 vaccines . The RMI Ministry of Health and Human Services Vaccine taskforce convened a meeting on August 22nd , 2023, and endorsed the recommendations and the necessary amendments stated below.

The communities are encouraged to ensure all children and the elderly receive their Up-to-Date COVID-19 vaccines, which are safe and effective in preventing severity of illness due to COVID-19.