Health Canada has legalized a Novavax vaccine adapted to protect against COVID-19 in people 12 and older.
Novavax’s product, the Nuvaxovid XBB. 1. 5 Omicron vaccine against the COVID-19 subvariant, uses a more classic form to protect the body against severe infections, hospitalizations, and death.
It is also legal as a booster for those over 18 years of age, according to the Health Canada website.
Novavax said it expects to have doses nationwide.
Novavax’s first vaccine to protect against COVID-19, known as Nuvaxovid, was authorized for use in Canadians 18 and over by Health Canada in February 2022.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines have also been updated to target XBB. 1. 5 and are approved for use in Canada, in addition to children under the age of 12.
Vaccines exercise our immune formula and then fight off a viral intruder.
Novavax’s vaccine provides lab-grown copies of the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to bind to cells and cause infection. Some flu and hepatitis B vaccines use the same approach.
mRNA vaccines involve genetic commands that allow the system to produce a fragment of the spike protein so that our immune system formulates it as foreign and learns to destroy it.
In general, the Canadian Advisory Committee suggests waiting about six months after vaccination or infection to receive the COVID vaccine.
The announcement comes as the federal government reported that about 4,600 hospital beds nationwide were holding COVID-19 patients, which is about the point seen in January. The bed occupancy rate peaked at more than 10,000 in January 2022.
Annual flu season has officially begun across Canada with rising levels of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) at this time of year.
It’s not too late to get a flu shot, provincial health officials say, encouraging others to protect themselves against various respiratory viruses that could peak in the holiday season.
Journalist
Amina Zafar covers medical science, fitness and infectious diseases for CBC News. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Journalism.
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