OTTAWA: Health Canada has approved new vaccines against COVID-19. The vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have been authorized for people aged six months and older. The vaccines are developed to target the currently circulating Omicron subvariant, LP.8.1. Officials stated that this move is part of an initiative to treat COVID-19 like a seasonal flu and to provide an annual vaccine.
Who will get the vaccine?
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has recommended vaccination for various groups:
- Two doses annually: For those above 80 years of age, residents of long-term care facilities, and the immunocompromised.
- One dose annually: For those aged 65 to 79, healthcare workers, and those with other serious health risks.
Provinces will make decisions regarding the free distribution of the vaccines. The high-risk groups include pregnant women, and Indigenous peoples such as First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, and other racialized communities.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert, said that COVID-19 remains a serious illness, especially for the elderly and those with compromised immunity. He added that people over 65 and 80 years old are the most likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19.
