What you need to know about the bivalent booster shots
CBC
This story idea came from audience members, like you, who got in touch with us. Send us all of your questions about COVID-19. We are listening: ask@cbc.ca.
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.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
An after-hours medical clinic in Moncton, attached to the Main Street Atlantic Superstore, now has a sign on the door announcing its permanent closure.
While recent rain has helped crews as they battle wildfires across Manitoba, provincial officials still say they're prepared to house thousands more evacuees if needed, as 122 blazes now actively burn across the province.
Emergency teams reopened the only road into Patuanak early Monday, allowing residents to evacuate as wildfires continue to threaten parts of northern Saskatchewan.
Premier Danielle Smith's handpicked panel hearing how to fix relations with the federal government will begin work this week with back-to-back town halls.
The B.C. Supreme Court has sentenced a man to life in prison with no parole or 25 years for beating his ex-girlfriend to death with a baseball bat as she slept beside her young daughter in 2021.
The municipal building in the central P.E.I. town of Kensington was shut as a precaution on Monday night after someone brought a "potentially hazardous object" to the police force headquartered there.
The N.W.T. government was slow to act when it detected lead in school drinking water because two of its departments failed to understand the health implications of the situation, an independent investigation has found.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pointing to a list of assets that Prime Minister Mark Carney transferred to a blind trust as evidence that the Liberal leader wasn't being honest with Canadians on the campaign trail.
People in Pikangikum First Nation are using the little fuel they have left to shine headlights into their homes as a way to escape the darkness as wildfires continue to damage hydro poles in the region.
Some businesses in Montague have been seeing fewer customers recently, blaming a second straight summer of roadwork for the loss of shoppers in the eastern P.E.I. community.
Two people accused of running fraudulent temp agencies that exploited asylum seekers in Montreal have been sentenced to house arrest for 10 and 18 months.
As Toronto deals with another heat warning this summer, the city is installing air conditioner units for seniors as part of a new pilot program.
The Nunavut coroner's office says it's investigating the deaths of two people in Igloolik.