What Manitoba is saying about the availability of the Pfizer bivalent COVID-19 vaccine

Booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine are displayed during a vaccine clinic in Townshend, Vt., on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. Canada approved the shot on Oct 7. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)

The Manitoba government said residents should ‘stay tuned’ to find out when the Pfizer bivalent will be coming to Manitoba.

On Wednesday, the province told CTV News Winnipeg that announcements will be made in due course regarding the availability of the Pfizer bivalent booster vaccine in Manitoba.

As of September, all Manitobans aged 18 and older are eligible to receive the bivalent vaccine.The Moderna bivalent is already available in Manitoba, while the Pfizer has been recently approved by Health Canada.

Manitoba recommends that all adults receive their primary vaccine series, as well as their booster doses. Manitobans need to complete their primary vaccine series before they can get a bivalent vaccine booster.

For booster doses, there are two types available in Manitoba –a monovalent and a bivalent.

The monovalent vaccines are the original mRNA vaccines, which were designed to protect against the original strain of COVID-19. The Moderna bivalent protects against the original strain and the first Omicron variant. The Pfizer bivalent booster targets the BA.4 and BA.5 strains of the Omicron variant.

Manitoba recommends that adults get the bivalent booster dose as soon as they can since it protects against multiple strains.

It is also suggested that individuals wait six months from their last COVID-19 vaccine before they receive a booster dose. However, people who meet a certain set of criteria can receive the booster after a minimum of three months.

Manitoba also recommends that people wait six months since their last COVID-19 infection, but at minimum, they need to be fully recovered before getting a booster dose.

BIVALENT DOSES IN CANADA

Earlier in the month, provincial officials in British Columbia said shipments of Pfizer’s bivalent vaccine would be heading to the province. B.C.’s provincial health officer and its health minister said the province is set to receive 1.7 million doses.

Last week, Dr. Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said Canada will receive enough supply of the bivalent vaccine to cover the anticipated demand for fall boosters.

- With files from CTV’s Charles Lefebvre and The Canadian Press.