In preparation for an expected fall COVID-19 wave, Canada has started rolling out updated vaccines to target the Omicron variant.
Earlier this month, Health Canada approved Moderna’s bivalent vaccine, which includes the original COVID-19 strain and BA.1 subvariant of the Omicron lineage, to be given as a booster dose to all Canadian adults. Read more: Bivalent COVID vaccines in Canada: How do they work and who can get them?
Canada received 780,000 doses of Moderna’s Omicron booster on Sept. 2, with a total of 10.5 million to be delivered by the end of the month, according to Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends that the bivalent Omicron vaccine be given as a booster dose to people aged 18 and older at least six months after their last dose or COVID-19 infection.