Health Canada approves updated Moderna XBB.1.5 COVID vaccine

Health Canada has approved the use of Moderna’s Spikevax XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine for all Canadians over the age of six months.

The decision was posted on Health Canada’s website this morning.

The dosing recommendations include one dose for people five years old and older, one dose for children under four, and two doses for children between six months and four years old who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID.

“After a thorough, independent review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the vaccine meets the department’s stringent safety, efficacy and quality requirements,” the health regulator wrote in a media release on Tuesday.

Health Canada said it is also reviewing a submission by Pfizer-BioNTech to have its Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine approved for use in people six months and older, as well as a submission by Novavax for its Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine for people 12 years and older.

The agency urges all eligible Canadians to roll up their sleeves and stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. Anyone who received their last dose of a shot at least six months ago is encouraged to get vaccinated with the latest version of a COVID-19 vaccine.

“Vaccination continues to be one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves against COVID-19,” the agency wrote. “Evidence indicates that all of the vaccines used in Canada are very effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.” 

The United States government on Monday approved updated COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to bolster protection against the latest coronavirus strains and soften any surges this fall and winter.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration isn’t calling those a booster, but rather an updated vaccine.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press