B.C. announces plan for new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine

Health officials expect B.C. residents will be able to get the new bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine by later this month or in October.

The Moderna vaccine is the first to target both the original strain of the virus and the Omicron variant, and Canada has purchased 12 million doses.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said the vaccines will be available in health-authority clinics and pharmacies, and more information about timing and eligibility will be presented to the public on Sept. 6.

“Once the supply arrives, we are all set to begin distribution. We expect the vaccines to come over several weeks and most people should be able to get one in September or October,” Henry and Dix stated in a news release.

Until now, COVID-19 vaccines approved in Canada were for only the original strain of the virus.

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