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OTTAWA — Canada’s senior public well being officers are urging Canadians to get an up to date COVID-19 vaccine this fall following the authorization of the primary shot focusing on the most recent variants Tuesday.
Well being Canada’s regulatory department accepted Moderna’s new Spikevax shot, which is formulated for the XBB.1.5 lineage of the Omicron variant.
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Moderna stated in an announcement the primary doses can be shipped to reach in Canada on Wednesday.
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“There may be sturdy proof exhibiting that the advantages of this vaccine outweigh the potential dangers,” chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma stated at a information convention in Ottawa.
Moderna started submitting information on scientific trials for the brand new vaccine on the finish of June, and the choice follows an in-depth evaluation of that information, Sharma stated.
It’s really helpful that every one adults and youngsters as younger as 5 get one dose of the brand new vaccine, if it has been at the least six months since their final dose.
Youngsters between six months and 4 years of age ought to get one dose if they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19 earlier than, however two doses in the event that they haven’t.
The choice comes as a small uptick in COVID-19 is showing in Canada following months of what chief public well being officer Dr. Theresa Tam stated had been traditionally low ranges of the virus.
Whereas Tam stated general, that uptick has been inconsistent and sporadically positioned, it’s time for folks to prime up their resistance to the virus.
“I believe one of many causes that we predict there’s an elevated uptick proper now’s this decreased immunity over time,” she stated.
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Nationally, she stated there have been indicators of elevated constructive instances and hospitalizations resulting from COVID-19. Ranges of COVID-19 have elevated barely in 10 of 40 cities the place wastewater is being monitored by Well being Canada.
The brand new vaccine targets the XBB.1.5 pressure and its sublineages. That line of the virus accounts for 99 per cent of all constructive exams in Canada at present.
Tam and Sharma stated the Moderna vaccine reveals a great immune response to all of them.
Well being Canada can also be reviewing submissions for XBB.1.5 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Novavax. Sharma stated selections on each might be forthcoming.
