Pfizer's updated COVID-19 vaccine approved, Health Canada says

Pfizer-BioNTech's updated vaccine to protect against a recently circulating COVID-19 variant is authorized, Health Canada said on Tuesday.

The federal vaccine and treatment portal lists authorization of the product Comirnaty, saying it includes an updated composition to target the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron.

Pfizer said the newly formulated vaccine will be available in pharmacies and vaccination centres across the country "in the fall." The company encouraged people to check with provincial and territorial authorities on how to access it. 

Last week, Health Canada approved another mRNA vaccine, Moderna's Spikevax, as well as Novavax's protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid.

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Early research suggests a concerning percentage of recovered COVID-19 patients have been left with a chronic respiratory condition called pulmonary fibrosis.

Pfizer's previous vaccine targeted an earlier subvariant of Omicron called XBB.1.5. 

Guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommends updated COVID-19 vaccinations starting this fall for high-risk groups, including adults 65 and older, people living in long-term care and other group living settings, people with underlying conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness, people from Indigenous and racialized communities, and those who are pregnant or who provide essential community services.

NACI said all other adults and children six months or older should also be eligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccination this fall.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada's wastewater data, updated on Tuesday, COVID-19 viral activity is moderate on a national level, but some wastewater collection points in Yukon, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have registered high levels of activity as of Sept. 8.

Wastewater testing offers an early indicator of when respiratory viruses are on the rise, doctors and epidemiologists say.

Both the latest Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for adults and for children six months of age and older.

Novavax is approved for adults and those aged 12 years and up.