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

Health Canada on Tuesday approved Pfizer-Biontech's updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against one of the latest circulating variants of the virus. This is the third approval of vaccines that are specific for new variants of the virus.

Pfizer-Biontech's vaccine, Comirnaty, targets the KP.2 variant of the Omicron subtype, replacing an earlier version that targeted the XBB.1.5 variant.

Comirnaty's approval follows last week's approval of Moderna's updated Spikevax vaccine as well as Novax's updated protein vaccine Nuvaxovid.

Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to discard their old COVID-19 vaccines to ensure that the new vaccines will be used in the fall respiratory disease season.

Specific times to start administering the new vaccines depend on the decisions of the provinces and territories. "Canada has secured an adequate supply of COVID-19 vaccines to meet the needs of the provinces and territories for the fall and winter 2024 vaccination programs," Anna Madison, a spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency of Canada, said in an email.

The Novax vaccine refers to the JN.1 variant, while the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines refer to the KP.2 variant. KP.2 is a subline of JN.1 type.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for both adults and children six months of age and older. The Novax vaccine is only approved for adults and children who are 12 years of age and older, and has not yet been evaluated for safety and effectiveness in children younger than 12 years of age.

In May, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) provided guidance for the use of new COVID-19 vaccines in the fall, if they are approved by Health Canada. In this guidance, NACI strongly recommends the new COVID-19 vaccination for all adults age 65 and older, people living in long-term care facilities and other group living settings, people with underlying medical conditions, and people from Indigenous and racial communities, as well as Those who are pregnant or provide essential community services, advised. NACI also said that other adults and children six months and older should also be eligible to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine.

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