Manitoba expands eligibility for Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 18 and older

Manitoba's eligibility for the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine that targets the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has expanded to include anyone over 18, the provincial government announced Wednesday afternoon.

Newly eligible people can start booking appointments to get that updated Moderna vaccine at 9 a.m. on Sept. 22 using the online booking system, a news release says.

For the best immune response, public health officials recommend people wait until at least six months after their last dose before getting the bivalent vaccine. 

"We know from the evidence that if you wait a bit longer, that six months duration between your last dose and the booster, you can get a stronger immune response," Manitoba's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

WATCH | Dr. Brent Roussin explains bivalent COVID-19 vaccines:

The minimum interval between a person's last dose and the new bivalent booster is three months.

Bivalent vaccines were initially made available on Sept. 2 to Manitobans 65 and older, and Indigenous people 18 and older.

The bivalent vaccine was developed to provide protection against both the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

Public health recommends people due for a booster shot opt for the bivalent vaccine instead of a fourth dose of one of the older vaccines.

More than 3,200 doses of the bivalent vaccine have been administered in Manitoba as of Sept. 19, the province said.

"We're not seeing the uptake that we would want right now, and this is fairly similar in multiple jurisdictions," Roussin said. A lag in data entry affects those numbers, too, he said.

An awareness campaign will launch next week, encouraging Manitobans to get their bivalent booster.

"Even if you've had an infection, we still recommend getting those boosters as soon as you become eligible," he said.

When Roussin last addressed the public about COVID, he announced plans to roll out vaccines for kids younger than five but dismissed questions about expanding eligibility for second boosters beyond those 50 and older or anyone who is First Nations, Inuit or Métis and at least 30.