Health Canada has formally approved Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant. While the updated vaccine was developed to target the Omicron BA.1 variant, Health Canada says clinical trials suggest the new vaccine still elicits a "stronger immune response" against the more recent mutations of Omicron — BA.4 and BA.5 — which are now dominant. Health Canada also reports that "no new safety concerns have been identified in studies when compared to the currently approved Spikevax mRNA vaccine." WATCH: 'It's essentially 2 vaccines in one,' says top health official: Vaccine for Omicron variant approved by Health Canada Duration 2:52 Health Canada has approved a new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna, which targets the Omicron variant. It contains both the original vaccine formulation and protection against the original Omicron variant BA.1.

Source: CBC News September 01, 2022 23:22 UTC