Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Sep, 2024 03:56 PM
  • Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine

Health Canada approved Pfizer-BioNTech's updated COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, marking its third authorization of vaccine formulations that protect against the most recently circulating variants of the virus.

Pfizer-BioNTech's mRNA vaccine, called Comirnaty, targets the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, replacing the previous version that targeted the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant.

The approval of Comirnaty follows last week's authorization of Moderna's updated Spikevax mRNA vaccine and Novavax’s updated protein-based vaccine, Nuvaxovid.

Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall's respiratory virus season.

The timelines for when people can roll up their sleeves to get the new shots is up to the provinces and territories, Public Health Agency of Canada spokesperson Anna Maddison said in an email last week. 

"Canada has secured sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines to meet provincial and territorial demand requirements for fall and winter 2024 vaccination campaigns," she said.  

The Novavax vaccine targets the JN.1 subvariant, while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines target the KP.2 subvariant. KP.2 is a sublineage of the JN.1 strain. 

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for adults and for children six months of age and older. 

Novavax's vaccine is approved for adults and for children 12 years and older. Nuvaxovid's product monograph says the vaccine has not yet been evaluated for safety and efficacy in children under 12.

In May, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization issued guidance for use of updated COVID-19 vaccines this fall if they were to be approved by Health Canada.  

In that guidance, NACI strongly recommended updated COVID-19 vaccinations for all adults 65 and older, people living in long-term care and other group living settings, people with underlying conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness, people from Indigenous and racialized communities, and those who are pregnant or who provide essential community services.

NACI said all other adults and children six months or older should also be eligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccination this fall.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada's wastewater data, updated on Tuesday, COVID-19 viral activity is moderate on a national level, but some wastewater collection points in Yukon, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have registered high levels of activity as of Sept. 8.  

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. brings in 'bell to bell' school phone ban, as new access rules target protesters

B.C. brings in 'bell to bell' school phone ban, as new access rules target protesters
Cellphone use will be restricted in all British Columbia school districts when pupils return next week, as the province becomes the latest to curtail the use of the devices in classrooms. Premier David Eby says all school districts now have policies in place to ban cellphone use "bell to bell," in line with a government directive announced in April.

B.C. brings in 'bell to bell' school phone ban, as new access rules target protesters

Thousands still out of homes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan due to wildfires

Thousands still out of homes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan due to wildfires
Nearly 3,800 people from First Nations in Saskatchewan and Manitoba remain out of their homes due to nearby wildfires. The Canadian Red Cross says it's supporting more than 2,300 from the remote community of Bunibonibee Cree Nation in northeastern Manitoba, offering lodging, food, transportation and supplies.

Thousands still out of homes in Manitoba and Saskatchewan due to wildfires

4 Mounties injured over the weekend

4 Mounties injured over the weekend
Burnaby R-C-M-P say four Mounties sustained minor injuries as they responded to a report of a man trying to break into a home over the weekend. They say officers arrived to find the 36-year-old suspect yelling incoherently, and when they tried to arrest him, he became aggressive.

4 Mounties injured over the weekend

Fatal truck crash in Sicamous

Fatal truck crash in Sicamous
The driver who died when his tractor trailer crashed over the side of a bridge and plunged into water below has been identified as a 25-year-old man. Sicamous R-C-M-P say they responded to a report of crash at about 6:45 a-m on Saturday, finding the truck was descending down a hill when it struck one end of the bridge, then crossed to the other side and crashed through the guard rail.

Fatal truck crash in Sicamous

How much microplastic is in your coffee? New device by UBC researchers could tell you

How much microplastic is in your coffee? New device by UBC researchers could tell you
Researchers at the University of British Columbia say they've come up with a portable device that can cheaply detect the amount of microplastics in drinks and other liquids. Microplastic particles can be created when things such as plastic cups or utensils degrade, releasing the material into food or drink that could then be ingested or absorbed into the body.

How much microplastic is in your coffee? New device by UBC researchers could tell you

Cabinet set to focus on Canada-U.S. trade relations on third and final day of retreat

Cabinet set to focus on Canada-U.S. trade relations on third and final day of retreat
With more than three million Canadian jobs — about one in six — reliant on exports, and three-quarters of Canadian exports going to the United States, the trade relationship with the U.S. is critical in all corners of this country.

Cabinet set to focus on Canada-U.S. trade relations on third and final day of retreat