Pfizer's Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster now available in New Brunswick

Pfizer's new Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine booster is now available to New Brunswickers aged 12 and older, provided five months have passed since their last dose or infection.

The Department of Health made the announcement via a news release Friday morning after CBC requested an update Thursday because pharmacies had already started to receive doses.

The updated version of the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine, approved by Health Canada Oct. 7, targets the original virus as well as the strains now most common in New Brunswick and across the country — the highly transmissible Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

Moderna's Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine has been available as a booster to New Brunswickers 18 and older since Oct. 11, provided five months have passed since their last dose or infection. Children aged 12 to 17 who are at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 are also eligible.

Moderna's Spikevax bivalent targets the original coronavirus and the Omicron variant BA.1 that emerged late last year and drove the largest wave of infection and hospitalization in the pandemic.

Public Health continues to strongly recommend New Brunswickers stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, including getting a bivalent booster.- Arifu Rahman, acting chief medical officer of health

Of the province's 192 most recent random samples sent for sequencing, 93 per cent were the Omicron subvariant BA.5, and seven per cent were the Omicron subvariant BA.4.

A new Omicron subvariant with mutations that allow it to better evade immunity from vaccination and prior infection has also been confirmed in the province.

A single case of BA.2.75.2 was detected in September, the Department of Health confirmed earlier this week, although it was not listed separately in any of the weekly COVIDWatch reports since then.

It was included within the BA.2 percentages of samples, spokesperson Adam Bowie said in an emailed statement.

"Public Health continues to strongly recommend New Brunswickers stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, including getting a bivalent booster, if five months have passed since their last COVID-19 vaccine or infection," Dr. Arifu Rahman, acting chief medical officer of health, said in a news release.

"This is especially important for those most at risk of severe outcomes of COVID-19," he said.

Personal risk factors for severe illness, according to the department, include:

• Being 50 or older.
• Being immunocompromised.
• Having chronic conditions.
• Not being fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible.

People who have risk factors should consider additional preventive measures, the department advises, such as:

• Avoiding or limiting time spent in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor places.
• Minimizing close contact with anyone who has cold-like symptoms.
• Continuing to use a mask, distancing and frequent hand washing.

Booster doses are available at select pharmacies across the province and at Public Health clinics in some areas.

Choice of brand

People will be able to choose which bivalent brand they want when booking an appointment either online, by calling 1-833-437-1424, or by contacting their local pharmacy directly, the Department of Health spokesperson said Friday.

New Brunswick has 110,400 doses of the Pfizer bivalent and "more available at the federal reserve, as required," said Bowie.

The expiry date for the current inventory of the Moderna bivalent is April 2023.

The department is "not concerned about the expiry dates, as we have sufficient supply in inventory and at the federal reserve, and several months to go," Bowie said in an emailed statement.

'A lot' of people waiting for Pfizer

"A lot" of people were waiting for the Pfizer bivalent to arrive, based on what pharmacists were hearing, according to Jake Reid, executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association.

There were even "a few stories" of people showing up to get their booster, only to leave once they realized it was the Moderna product, he said.

"I think that there's still perhaps this misconception that if you've gotten Pfizer all along, for instance, 'Well I haven't had any reactions, you know, I haven't had a sore arm. Well maybe I should stick with Pfizer.'

But studies have shown Moderna is also "very effective," said Reid.

Bivalent vaccines are considered "next-generation booster vaccines, which will provide enhanced protection against Omicron subvariants," said Bowie. Both Pfizer and Moderna are "effective at broadening the immune system's response," he said.

"It's more important to ensure that a bivalent booster protects against Omicron, rather than focus on which strain or product is better matched as a booster candidate."

People who are eligible for a bivalent shouldn't delay booking an appointment for a certain brand, Bowie said.

Some pharmacies received shipments of the Pfizer bivalent Thursday, with more expected into next week, said Reid.

Many pharmacies were awaiting an official announcement from Public Health before scheduling any Pfizer booster appointments..

"We would expect within days, very shortly, the government should announce that the bivalent is here and people can start booking their appointments," Reid told CBC Thursday.

A total of 22.9 per cent of eligible New Brunswickers have received their second COVID-19 booster shot, up from 22.5 per cent a week ago, and 53.8 per cent have received their first booster, unchanged.

Third and fourth booster rates are not included in the province's weekly COVIDWatch report.