Health Canada has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna that targets both the original strain of the coronavirus and the Omicron variant, as a booster dose for ages 18 and older.
Vaccines currently available in Canada target only the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. The new, bivalent ones are especially designed to recognize mutations of the Omicron BA.1 sub-variant.
Ottawa has already purchased 12 million doses of the new vaccine from Moderna and these are expected to start shipping shortly.
“In terms of gain, the level of antibodies increases by 8 times against the BA.1 variant compared to the vaccine we currently have. [Le niveau d’anticorps] is 5.4 times higher against the BA.4 and BA.5 variants,” Moderna Canada Executive Director Patricia Gauthier boasted in an interview with The duty when the agreement with the federal government was announced. The duration of the protection conferred by the vaccine should also be prolonged, according to the studies of the pharmaceutical.
Public Health officials held a technical briefing Thursday morning, and Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos is expected to reiterate Thursday afternoon the importance of receiving a booster shot against COVID-19 .
Minister Duclos has already signaled that a rapid deployment of vaccines will be important to repel another potentially large wave of infections in the fall.
The Omicron variant arrived in Canada in late 2021 and has been spreading aggressively ever since. Omicron subvariants are now by far the most prevalent strains of the virus in the country.
Further details will follow.
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