What you need to know about the bivalent booster shots
CBC
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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.
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.
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.
Because the bivalent vaccines are distributed as a booster shot, the older vaccines are still required as the primary series.
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