The NACI stopped short of urging a specific formulation while it awaited more evidence, but did say a bivalent shot could encourage uptake in the fall
Predictions of a fall COVID-19 wave make another booster vaccine campaign likely but questions abound over how the virus will continue to evolve and what protections a new shot could offer.
In the United States, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said last week that fall boosters should contain some version of the Omicron variant. Experts say Canada is already in the throes of its third Omicron wave, which could be followed by a new COVID-19 variant threat, but that doesn’t necessarily make an Omicron-tweaked vaccine is outdated if it doesn’t land until fall.
Pfizer Canada and Moderna Canada each say their mRNA platforms allow for quick updates to address new variants if needed. Moderna Canada says it submitted its bivalent booster candidate to Health Canada on June 30 for regulatory approval. Iqbal says the proposed update is a 50 mcg dose that contains the original vaccine, known as Spikevax, and a vaccine candidate that targets Omicron.
Chagla adds that there are many moving parts to ensuring a smooth vaccine rollout, as seen in the rocky days of Canada’s first big push to get needles in arms: “It’s not as simple as the vaccine drops and everyone has access, right?”
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