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Updated COVID-19 vaccines are starting to be rolled out to some high-risk Canadians, but others will have to wait a while before these new shots are offered to them.
Last month, Health Canada approved the latest COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, targeting the most recent variants of the virus.
Both shots are approved for anyone six months and older.
The new mRNA vaccines from both pharmaceutical companies target Omicron’s KP.2 subvariant that dominated the spread of COVID-19 earlier this year.
While new offshoots, specifically KP.3.1.1, are now spreading in Canada, they are so closely related that the vaccines promise cross-protection.
As of September 27, Moderna’s updated Spikevax shot was available for those aged six months and older, while Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated Comirnaty was available for those aged 12 years and older. according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
PHAC told Global News that up to 19 million doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been secured to meet provincial and territorial demand requirements for the fall and winter vaccination campaigns.
“Delivery of doses of authorized COVID-19 mRNA vaccines to jurisdictions for fall vaccination campaigns began from the week of September 23rd,” PHAC spokesperson Anna Maddison said in an emailed statement on Friday.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Health, the new vaccines will only be distributed to high-risk and priority populations through public health units, participating pharmacies and participating healthcare providers.
“The updated COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all eligible individuals aged 6 months and older beginning October 28, 2024,” Ontario’s Ministry of Health told Global News in an emailed statement on Friday.
A pharmacist at Sam’s IDA Pharmacy in Toronto told Global News they expect the new vaccines after Thanksgiving.
Manitoba’s fall campaign will kick off on Oct. 15, and the health minister will share more details about that in the near future, including preparations for flu, RSV and COVID-19, a provincial spokesperson said.
“It is important to note that flu shots are already available through many sites, such as public health offices, medical clinics, access centers, pharmacies, vaccine clinics and nursing stations,” the spokesperson added.
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Like Ontario, Yukon is also currently prioritizing its high-risk population, including people aged 60 and older and those living in long-term care facilities.
From October 15, health centers will begin offering flu and the updated COVID-19 vaccines to the general population, with a wider rollout planned for November 1. This was reported by the Yukon Ministry of Health and Social Affairs.
Prince Edward Island is expected to receive about 60,000 doses of the new COVID-19 vaccines.
“The first shipments of Moderna arrived last week and have been distributed to pharmacies and public health. The first deliveries from Pfizer are expected on October 4,” said a spokesperson for PEI’s health and human services department.
“Immunizers can begin offering the vaccines as soon as they receive them (no set start date).”
New Brunswick’s Ministry of Health did not provide a timeline for its rollout, but said it “will soon have more information to share about the upcoming vaccination campaigns.”
Fall respiratory virus vaccines, including COVID-19 shots, are starting to arrive in Alberta. The Office of the Minister of Health told Global News that policy information is being shared with immunizing stakeholders.
“We will have more to say about Alberta’s immunization program next week,” the office said.
Global News reached out to PHAC and all other provinces and territories about the rollout of the new COVID-19 vaccines, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommends the most recently updated COVID-19 vaccines for previously vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals at increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe COVID-19 disease.
This includes anyone 65 or older, residents of long-term care facilities, pregnant people, people with underlying medical conditions and people from Indigenous communities.
All others six months and older who are not at increased risk for COVID-19 infection or severe illness can also receive updated vaccines this fall, NACI says.
Some experts have warned of a sharp increase in COVID-19 activity in Canada this fall.
“I think based on what we’ve seen, we expect there to be a significant amount of COVID in the fall and winter,” said Allison McGeer, an infectious disease physician at Sinai Health in Toronto, in a perspicacious interview with Global News. .
McGeer said that since “COVID is still an issue in Canada,” people should get vaccinated.
“There is still a very clear benefit to getting a shot if they are available in Canada to protect you through the winter,” she said.
PHAC says older versions of the COVID-19 vaccine are no longer authorized or available for use.
Health Canada recently ordered provinces and territories to withdraw and destroy any remaining supplies of the previous XBB vaccines before the new KP.2-formulated supplies could be shipped.
Novavax’s updated protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, which targets the JN.1 variant, has also been approved, but PHAC is not ordering them due to low demand.
— with files of the Canadian Press and the Association Press
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Saba Aziz
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