Braced for an increase in COVID cases, Health Canada reviews 3 new vaccines
CBC
With early signs indicating the COVID-19 caseload is poised to grow in the weeks ahead, Health Canada is actively reviewing three new vaccines specifically designed to target an Omicron subvariant of the virus.
The department told CBC News Monday that new mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna and a non-mRNA product from Novavax have been part of a months-long review process and supplies could start to roll out in the fall.
That timeline is similar to what is planned south of the border. The U.S. is poised to release an updated COVID booster in late September once regulators there sign off on the new shots.
These new vaccines are designed for the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant now in widespread circulation.
When asked how many doses of these products the country is set to receive, a Health Canada spokesperson wouldn't give an exact figure but said in a media statement there will be an "ample supply" of the new formulation of mRNA vaccines.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has said the company's shots are ready to be deployed as soon as regulators authorize their use.
Novavax's protein-based XBB COVID vaccine candidate will not be available until later this year, Health Canada said.
That shot is an option for people who are "unwilling or unable to receive an mRNA vaccine," the department said.
While the number of reported COVID-19 cases remains much lower than in the past, some agencies, notably Public Health Ontario (PHO), have reported an uptick in positive test results.
Of the roughly 12,700 tests administered in the province between Aug. 13 and Aug. 19, 9.9 per cent came back positive — a sharp increase from the 5.2 per cent positivity rate in early July.
"Per cent positivity remained stable from late April 2023 to the end of May, trended downwards until late June and has been trending upwards overall with the trend accelerating in the most recent weeks," PHO said in an update on respiratory viruses published Friday.
Ontario wastewater signals also suggest that COVID-19 infections are steadily increasing in number — although not to the high levels reported earlier this year.
The number of COVID-related hospitalizations in Ontario has been stable for months, despite an increase in test positivity.
The most commonly reported COVID-19 strain in Ontario is currently EG.5.1, followed by EG.5.1.1 and XBB.1.16, PHO said.
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