monovalent

adjective

mono·​va·​lent ˌmä-nə-ˈvā-lənt How to pronounce monovalent (audio)
1
: having a valence of one
2
: having specific immunologic activity against a single antigen, microorganism, or disease
a monovalent vaccine

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web 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 Currently, people who get vaccinated for the first time receive two shots (a primary series) of the monovalent COVID vaccine, which only targets the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. Julia Landwehr, Health, 27 Jan. 2023 People vaccinated with the bivalent booster had more than a two-fold reduced risk of death from Covid compared to vaccinated people who had only received monovalent vaccine. Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Jan. 2023 The bivalent vaccine is unquestionably effective at staving off severe illness and death, just as the monovalent vaccine was, stresses Mark Slifka, an immunologist at Oregon Health and Science University. Byjennifer Couzin-frankel, science.org, 25 Jan. 2023 There is no data to show whether the bivalent vaccine is more protective than a monovalent vaccine would have been, since everyone in the U.S. received the bivalent version. Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2023 The rVE in this age group jumped to 56 percent when compared to people with two more monovalent doses, if the most recent dose was given eight or more months ago. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 22 Nov. 2022 Pfizer has a bivalent booster for people 12 and older, and a monovalent primary series for people in the same age bracket. Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 2022 Though the vial labels are bordered in gray for the bivalent booster and purple for the monovalent product for 6- to 11-year-olds, the potential for confusion exists, Hall said. Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monovalent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of monovalent was in 1871

Dictionary Entries Near monovalent

Cite this Entry

“Monovalent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monovalent. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

Medical Definition

monovalent

adjective
mono·​va·​lent ˌmän-ə-ˈvā-lənt How to pronounce monovalent (audio)
1
: having a chemical valence of one
2
: containing antibodies specific for or antigens of a single strain of a microorganism
a monovalent vaccine
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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