Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccines: Could updated shots prevent a fall wave?
Global News
The U.K. has become the first country to approve a COVID-19 booster vaccine that targets the original virus and the more contagious Omicron variant.
The COVID-19 pandemic has a new line of defence – in the form of updated vaccines after the world’s first bivalent shots were approved in the U.K. this week.
A bivalent vaccine targets two different variants of the same virus.
The new vaccines are still awaiting approval in Canada and while there is no word on when that will land, Canadian doctors are optimistic about a potential rollout.
“These updated vaccines are a phenomenal tool, but the real game-changer will be distribution,” said Dr. Omar Khan, a professor of biomedical engineering and immunology at the University of Toronto.
“As long as we can get this out to as many people across the world, this is really what’s going to slow down viral evolution and prevent a new variant,” he told Global News.
On Monday, the United Kingdom became the first country to approve the so-called bivalent vaccine by Moderna as a booster for adults.
Both Pfizer and Moderna have submitted to Health Canada applications for bivalent vaccines targeting the original variant of the virus and the Omicron BA.1 sublineage.
Those submissions are currently under review, Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for Health Canada, told Global News on Monday.
B.C. health authorities have announced the first case of a human avian flu infection acquired in Canada, with the teenage patient in critical condition in hospital.
People have been hearing a lot about H5N1 bird flu — or highly pathogenic avian influenza — since a B.C. teen became the first human to get the virus in Canada and is in hospital.
The Liberal government and the NDP negotiated the substance of a pharmacare bill as part of their now-defunct supply-and-confidence agreement.
Kennedy ran as an independent presidential candidate but gave Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the next Trump administration.
Emergency services are at the scene of a train derailment Thursday morning on Montreal's south shore, where they are urging citizens to stay away from the area.
"I was yelling at them saying get the F** away it’s a wild animal," resident Josh Merrin told Global News. "Sorry about my language."
H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows, with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.
The Calgary Zoo announced that one of its lowland gorillas unexpectedly passed away on November 12, 2024.
Edmontonians have had mixed feelings and now the city is asking people to share their thoughts officially. The findings of a survey could bring some changes.
Dr. Anna Wolak, a family physician in Vancouver, said many parents are likely having flashbacks to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite this flu being a single case.
WHO acknowledged that testing for mpox is still not widespread, making it difficult to understand how exactly the virus is spreading.