Starting Monday, Moderna’s bivalent booster will be available for select groups of adults at Saskatchewan Health Authority vaccination clinics and participating pharmacies.
Moderna Spikevax’s bivalent booster offers protection against both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the Omicron variant.
Eligibility includes all Saskatchewan residents 70 years of age and older, all Saskatchewan residents 50 years of age and older in First Nations and Métis communities and those in the Northern Service Administration District.
The province said eligible populations are recommended to receive Moderna’s bivalent booster dose at least four months after their last COVID-19 vaccination.
This specific vaccine can only be used as a booster and not as the first or second dose in a primary vaccination series, according to the province. Residents must have completed at least two primary doses to receive the bivalent booster.
If a person has had COVID-19, they can receive any booster dose once they have recovered.
Additional age groups will be eligible to receive the bivalent vaccine as supplies are received, the province said. Expanded booster availability will be announced in early October.