monovalent
adjective
mono·va·lent
ˌmä-nə-ˈvā-lənt 
1
: having a valence of one
2
: having specific immunologic activity against a single antigen, microorganism, or disease
a monovalent vaccine
Examples of monovalent in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In June, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended that this fall’s booster be a monovalent vaccine—targeting only the then-dominant XBB.1.5 subvariant.
—
Emily Mullin, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2023
In June, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously voted that the fall 2023 COVID booster should be a monovalent vaccine that targets the XBB.1.5 strain of the Omicron variant.
—Maggie Scales, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023
And a monovalent vaccine could provide better protection against current variants: With the bivalent booster, patients’s immune systems react more to the original strain, hindering their response to newer ones, David Ho, a microbiologist and immunologist at Columbia University, tells CNN.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2023
Remainder of Vaccinated Population - Most people depending on age who were previously vaccinated with a monovalent jab and who haven’t yet received a bivalent vaccine can now get a single bivalent dose, the FDA said.
—Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023
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Emily Mullin, WIRED, 12 Sep. 2023
In June, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously voted that the fall 2023 COVID booster should be a monovalent vaccine that targets the XBB.1.5 strain of the Omicron variant.
—Maggie Scales, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023
And a monovalent vaccine could provide better protection against current variants: With the bivalent booster, patients’s immune systems react more to the original strain, hindering their response to newer ones, David Ho, a microbiologist and immunologist at Columbia University, tells CNN.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2023
Remainder of Vaccinated Population - Most people depending on age who were previously vaccinated with a monovalent jab and who haven’t yet received a bivalent vaccine can now get a single bivalent dose, the FDA said.
—Travis Andersen, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023
See All Example Sentences for monovalent
Cite this Entry
“Monovalent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monovalent. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
monovalent
adjective
mono·va·lent
ˌmän-ə-ˈvā-lənt
1
: having a chemical valence of one
2
: containing antibodies specific for or antigens of a single strain of a microorganism
a monovalent vaccine
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