Updated COVID, flu vaccines arrive in London region, and health officials suggest you get both

Shipments of updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines have arrived in the London region, according to the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU), with more rolling in as respiratory virus season inches closer.

A spokesperson for the MLHU said high risk populations are eligible for the shots for now, and the general population will have to wait until the end of the month to update their immunization.

"We have 14 fridges that are full at the moment, and we're getting it out to all of the healthcare providers on a weekly basis," said Melissa Thompson, the MLHU's manager of vaccine preventable disease. "Right now all of the healthcare providers, hospitals and [long-term care homes] are ordering it from us."

Health Canada approved new vaccines that target the KP. 2 variant of COVID-19 in late September. Those mRNA vaccines are manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. A third protein-based vaccine called Nuvaxovid, which is produced by Novavax, was approved as well.

"Every year the flu vaccine gets updated depending on what strains are circulating. COVID is following that same path where there's different strains of COVID circulating," said Thompson. "For the last three different types of COVID vaccines, they've all been geared towards the Omicron variant. It's still an Omicron variant now, but it's called KP. 2. Last year it was XB and now it's just changed slightly."

Both Ontario's Ministry of Health and the MLHU strongly recommend people who are in the high-risk groups that are now eligible for updated flu and COVID vaccines take advantage of their availability, Thompson said. 

That group includes people who are above 65 years of age, residents of congregate living centres, pregnant women, children six months to four years of age, people from Indigenous and racialized communities and people who are are immunocompromised, she said.

Following this initial period of availability and starting on Oct. 28, anyone older than six months will be eligible for the shots as well.

To avoid multiple healthcare visits, Thompson recommended people interested in the vaccines get both at once, since it is safe to do so, she said.

"Anyone over the age of six months should be getting both as well. It's great protection for all ages," Thompson said. "COVID has stuck around through the summer and flu is coming, so we would advise people to get the vaccines before the outbreaks and the illnesses come out so that you have that protection on board for when it does happen."

Respiratory virus season tends to pick up as autumn comes into full swing, and warmer than normal temperatures shouldn't fool people into thinking it's not on the way, Thompson said.