More people will soon be eligible for the bivalent vaccine in Newfoundland and Labrador.

As of Friday, anyone 18 and older will be eligible for the bivalent vaccine, which protects against the Omicron variant of COVID-19 — the primary variant circulating in the province — as well as the original strain of the coronavirus.

In a press release Thursday, Newfoundland and Labrador's Health Department said appointments can be booked through regional health clinics by visiting the COVID-19 website. Appointments can also be made through participating pharmacists and physicians, but the department said the bivalent vaccine may not always available at every site and appointments are being added as vaccine supply is received.

This expansion comes after the provincial government previously made the bivalent vaccine available to groups considered at higher risk for severe outcomes in September. At that time, the province's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, said the bivalent vaccine uses mRNA technology like the previous vaccines, and has the same dosage.