Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2021 southern hemisphere influenza season

25 September 2020

| Technical document

It is recommended that quadrivalent vaccines for use in the 2021 southern hemisphere influenza season contain the following:

Egg-based vaccines

• an A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

• an A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 (H3N2)-like virus;

• a B/Washington/02/2019 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus; and

• a B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus.

Cell- or recombinant-based vaccines

• an A/Wisconsin/588/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

• an A/Hong Kong/45/2019 (H3N2)-like virus;

• a B/Washington/02/2019 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus; and

• a B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage)-like virus.

It is recommended that trivalent influenza vaccines for use in the 2021 southern hemisphere influenza season contain the following:

Egg-based vaccines

• an A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

• an A/Hong Kong/2671/2019 (H3N2)-like virus; and

• a B/Washington/02/2019 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.

Cell- or recombinant-based vaccines

• an A/Wisconsin/588/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

• an A/Hong Kong/45/2019 (H3N2)-like virus; and

• a B/Washington/02/2019 (B/Victoria lineage)-like virus.

WHO Team

Global Influenza Programme (GIP)