Correct me if I'm wrong, but this Pfizer one seems better than the Moderna Bivalent? They both have the old vaccine and the new omicron strains, but Moderna takes care of the original B1 omicron and Pfizer takes care of B4 and B5 which is the 90% of the strains going around now.
What you need to know about the bivalent booster shots
Appointments to get the new bivalent booster shots have opened up across provinces in Canada for all adults.
The vaccine was initially available for provinces' more vulnerable populations at the beginning of September, but has since been made available to everyone over the age of 18.
Health officials have noted the importance of getting the shot, especially as the colder months approach, but the timing may vary person-to-person, based on when you were last infected or last vaccinated.
We've also received a number of questions about the bivalent booster and are here to answer them.
What is a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine?
Simply put, a "bivalent" vaccine is a type of vaccine that protects against a combination of two or more coronavirus strains.
This helps to create a broader immune response and improves the strength and duration of protection against the most dominant COVID-19 variants in circulation.
Earlier this month, Health Canada authorized the use of an adapted version of Moderna's Spikevax vaccine for adults 18 years and older. It was the first bivalent booster to be authorized in the country.
According to Health Canada, clinical trial results showed that a booster dose of Moderna's bivalent vaccine triggers a strong immune response against both Omicron (BA.1) and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain. It was also found to generate a good immune response against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
What about bivalent boosters for the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron strains?
At this time, Moderna's bivalent vaccine that targets Omicron (BA.1) and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain is the only bivalent COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved by Health Canada.
While bivalent boosters targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron strains are available in the U.S., the vaccines are still being reviewed by Health Canada. The country's public health agency received Pfizer's application for the new bivalent booster on Sept. 2, 2022, while Moderna's application for a second bivalent booster that targets BA. 4 and BA. 5 was received on Sept. 12, 2022.
The public health agency has previously stated that it expects to approve bivalent COVID-19 boosters that target Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains in the near future.
In a news conference earlier this month, Dr. Supriya Sharma, senior medical advisor for Health Canada, said the government wanted to secure the currently approved bivalent vaccine to make sure "we had that in-house."
As for the product submissions for the BA.4 and BA.5 bivalent vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, Sharma says they will "review those to make sure we have as many options as we can for Canadians."
How is it different from the previous vaccines?
The bivalent vaccines contain two messenger RNA (mRNA) components instead of one.
One of the components is from the original strain of the coronavirus, while the other component is from the Omicron strain, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, it is only approved for use as a booster dose.
In general, "bivalent" or combination vaccines are very common. According to B.C.'s public health website, the most common is the influenza vaccine, which protects against three to four strains of influenza.
The effectiveness of the vaccine mainly depends on when you received your last booster or last had a COVID-19 infection.
What happens to the older vaccines?
Because the bivalent vaccines are distributed as a booster shot, the older vaccines are still required as the primary series.
According to the latest data, there are still thousands of Canadians who have not received the first two shots, and since those shots are the only ones currently approved for the primary series, Canada is going to hold on to those doses.
However, a recent agreement between the federal government and Moderna will allow for six million of the company's original vaccines to be converted to the Omicron-containing bivalent boosters.
Many vaccines have expired since they first became available. Around nine million doses in the federal stockpile reached their expiration date and were disposed of, a Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson said.
What you need to know about the bivalent booster shots
Appointments to get the new bivalent booster shots have opened up across provinces in Canada for all adults.
The vaccine was initially available for provinces' more vulnerable populations at the beginning of September, but has since been made available to everyone over the age of 18.
Health officials have noted the importance of getting the shot, especially as the colder months approach, but the timing may vary person-to-person, based on when you were last infected or last vaccinated.
We've also received a number of questions about the bivalent booster and are here to answer them.
What is a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine?
Simply put, a "bivalent" vaccine is a type of vaccine that protects against a combination of two or more coronavirus strains.
This helps to create a broader immune response and improves the strength and duration of protection against the most dominant COVID-19 variants in circulation.
Earlier this month, Health Canada authorized the use of an adapted version of Moderna's Spikevax vaccine for adults 18 years and older. It was the first bivalent booster to be authorized in the country.
According to Health Canada, clinical trial results showed that a booster dose of Moderna's bivalent vaccine triggers a strong immune response against both Omicron (BA.1) and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain. It was also found to generate a good immune response against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
What about bivalent boosters for the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron strains?
At this time, Moderna's bivalent vaccine that targets Omicron (BA.1) and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strain is the only bivalent COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved by Health Canada.
While bivalent boosters targeting the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron strains are available in the U.S., the vaccines are still being reviewed by Health Canada. The country's public health agency received Pfizer's application for the new bivalent booster on Sept. 2, 2022, while Moderna's application for a second bivalent booster that targets BA. 4 and BA. 5 was received on Sept. 12, 2022.
The public health agency has previously stated that it expects to approve bivalent COVID-19 boosters that target Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 strains in the near future.
In a news conference earlier this month, Dr. Supriya Sharma, senior medical advisor for Health Canada, said the government wanted to secure the currently approved bivalent vaccine to make sure "we had that in-house."
As for the product submissions for the BA.4 and BA.5 bivalent vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, Sharma says they will "review those to make sure we have as many options as we can for Canadians."
How is it different from the previous vaccines?
The bivalent vaccines contain two messenger RNA (mRNA) components instead of one.
One of the components is from the original strain of the coronavirus, while the other component is from the Omicron strain, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, it is only approved for use as a booster dose.
In general, "bivalent" or combination vaccines are very common. According to B.C.'s public health website, the most common is the influenza vaccine, which protects against three to four strains of influenza.
The effectiveness of the vaccine mainly depends on when you received your last booster or last had a COVID-19 infection.
What happens to the older vaccines?
Because the bivalent vaccines are distributed as a booster shot, the older vaccines are still required as the primary series.
According to the latest data, there are still thousands of Canadians who have not received the first two shots, and since those shots are the only ones currently approved for the primary series, Canada is going to hold on to those doses.
However, a recent agreement between the federal government and Moderna will allow for six million of the company's original vaccines to be converted to the Omicron-containing bivalent boosters.
Many vaccines have expired since they first became available. Around nine million doses in the federal stockpile reached their expiration date and were disposed of, a Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson said.
