PHAC says the manufacturer requires a minimum order of its updated protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, which far exceeds the uptake by Canadians last year.
Health Emergency Readiness Canada is tasked with boosting Canada’s life-sciences sector and ensuring Canadians get faster access to vaccines, medical therapies and diagnostics by accelerating the transition from research to commercialization.
The Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine, called Comirnaty, targets the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, replacing the previous version which targeted the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant.
This is the first time the disease has circulated to a significant extent since pre-pandemic years and in contrast to influenza, it doesn’t follow a predictable pattern apart from resurging every few years.