Bivalent COVID vaccines are here. What happens to the existing vaccines? – CBC

About 8.9 million vaccines in the federal stockpile have expired, according to a spokesperson

Sep 10, 2022

Bivalent vaccines — which target more than one strain of the coronavirus — are making their way into Canada, with Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant BA.1 rolling out to the provinces and territories this week.

And that’s just the start. Pfizer-BioNTech have an application in for their BA.4-BA.5 vaccine, with Moderna’s vaccine targeting the same strains expected soon, too.

But with newer, more targeted vaccines rolling out, what will happen to the existing vaccines?

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos pledged last week to try and minimize any vaccine wastage as the latest vaccines roll out. Throughout the pandemic, Canada has donated some of its surplus vaccines to other countries, and federal health officials said last week they will continue to donate vaccines as wanted.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/bivalent-vaccines-canada-covid-1.6576365