The Ontario government has announced all adults 18 years and older will be eligible for booster doses of the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, September 26th, with bivalent boosters available immediately for those in the most vulnerable populations.
On September 1, Health Canada authorized the use of an adapted version of the Moderna Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine for adults 18 years of age and older. Known as a “bivalent” vaccine because it targets both the original SARS-CoV-2 virus from 2019 and the Omicron (BA.1) variant, this is the first bivalent COVID-19 vaccine authorized in Canada. It has also been found to generate a good immune response against the more recent Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
As of 8 a.m. on Monday (September 12), bivalent COVID-19 booster appointments are available for adults 18 years and older in the most vulnerable populations, including those 70 and older, residents of long-term care homes and retirement homes (as well as Elder Care Lodges and people living in other congregate settings that provide assisted-living and health services), Indigenous people (First Nation, Inuit, and Métis) and their non-Indigenous household members, pregnant women, and health care workers. The booster is also available for moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals aged 12 and over.
The provincial government says new booster dose appointments for existing COVID-19 vaccines will be paused until September 26 “to prioritize distribution to these populations.” However, all previously booked booster appointments between September 12 to 25 will be honoured and, if available, the bivalent vaccine will be offered.
“The bivalent COVID-19 booster is a safe and effective way for people to better protect themselves against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variants in Ontario,” said Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore in a media release. “As vaccine protection decreases over time, I encourage all Ontarians aged five and over to receive the booster dose they are eligible for.”
Although appointments for booster doses of the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine will only be available to all Ontario adults as of September 26, anyone 18 and older can now book appointments “to allow for convenient planning and preparation,” although the government adds the availability of appointments for the bivalent vaccine “is based on shipment schedules and supply from the federal government.”
People can receive the bivalent booster at the recommended interval of at least six months from their previous dose, regardless of how many boosters they have already received.
Appointments can be booked online through the COVID-19 vaccination portal at covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.
Eligible people can also book an appointment directly through public health units that use their own booking systems, Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, participating health care providers, and participating pharmacies. Pregnant women and health care workers booking from September 12 to 25 must call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre or book booster dose appointments through participating pharmacies.
