Now that Health Canada has approved an update to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, the Region of Waterloo is waiting for provincial guidance as it prepares to roll out booster shots this fall.
In an email to CambridgeToday, David Aoki, director, infectious diseases and chief nursing officer with Region of Waterloo Public Health, said they are working with primary care, local hospitals, pharmacies, long term care and retirement homes to prepare for the rollout of COVID and flu immunizations within the next few weeks.
"Public Health is recommending that everyone who is eligible receive their flu and COVID immunization when they are available later this fall,” he said.
Health Canada approved Moderna's new Spikevax vaccine earlier this week and supplies were expected to be shipped to Canada today.
Health Canada is still reviewing updated vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax.
The updated Moderna vaccine is formulated to target the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant which has caused an uptick in the number of cases reported across Canada as the respiratory virus season looms.
In Waterloo region, 20 new COVID cases were reported last week bringing the total number of cases reported in 2023 to 3,034.
There were 23 deaths related to COVID this year.
The new booster has proven effective against the prevailing subvariant.
Clinical trials showed that beginning two weeks after the second dose, the vaccine was:
- 94.1 per cent effective in protecting trial participants aged 18 and above against COVID-19
- 100 per cent effective in trial participants 12 to 17 years old
- as effective in trial participants 6 to 11 years old as in young adults (18 to 25 years old)
- 37 per cent effective in trial participants 2 to 5 years old
- 51 per cent effective in trial participants 6 to 23 months old
The federal government is paying for the new doses which are recommended for everyone over the age of six months old.
More information on local availability will be released soon.
