Canada buys up millions more doses of Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine

By: Laura Osman, The Canadian Press Posted: Last Modified:

Advertisement

Advertise with us

OTTAWA - The federal government has purchased a total of 12 million doses of Moderna's bivalent vaccine that targets both the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/08/2022 (1515 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – The federal government has purchased a total of 12 million doses of Moderna’s bivalent vaccine that targets both the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

In a press release Monday, the company said Canada purchased 4.5 million new doses.

Those are in addition to 1.5 million doses originally scheduled to arrive in Canada next year. The delivery deadline has been pushed up and the doses are expected to land in Canada this year.

Clinic volunteer Kelly Brown draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on January 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg
Clinic volunteer Kelly Brown draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on January 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

The government and the company also agreed to convert six million doses of the company’s original COVID-19 Spikevax vaccine to bivalent doses.

The agreement depends on Health Canada’s approval of the company’s bivalent vaccine, which was submitted for review on June 30.

“We thank the Government of Canada for their trust in our mRNA technology and our next-generation bivalent COVID-19 vaccine platform,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

There is currently no timeline for approval.

The COVID-19 vaccines currently available in Canada are designed to solely target the original strain of the virus. Since the pandemic began, the virus has continued to mutate and prove more adept at evading immune detection.

The proposed bivalent vaccines are designed to recognize specific mutations in the spike protein of the Omicron BA. 1 subvariant.

The most common variants in Canada now are all subversions of Omicron, which arrived at the end of 2021 and have spread aggressively since.

Last week, British regulators became the first in the world to authorize Moderna’s vaccine that protects against both the original strain of the novel coronavirus and the Omicron BA. 1 subvariant.

Health Canada is also reviewing a bivalent Omicron vaccine submission from Pfizer-BioNTech.

The drug regulator has already asked vaccine manufacturers to further tweak their bivalent vaccines to target the fast-spreading Omicron BA. 4 and BA. 5 subvariants as soon as possible.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2022.

Related Articles

Fauci to step down after decades as top US infection expert
FILE - Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Nov. 4, 2021, in Washington. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert who became a household name, and the subject of partisan attacks, during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than 5 decades of service. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Advertisement Advertise With Us

Advertisement Advertise With Us

Report Error Submit a Tip

Advertisement

Learn more about Winnipeg Free Press Advertising solutions

More Stories

Free Press Files Cameron Huley pictured in 2012.

Slain chef’s family infuriated by stayed charges

Morgan Modjeski 3 minute read Preview

Slain chef’s family infuriated by stayed charges

Morgan Modjeski 3 minute read Yesterday at 8:28 PM CDT

The family of a Ste. Anne chef who died after an altercation at a party says they are angry a manslaughter charge has been stayed against a 46-year-old man.

Read
Yesterday at 8:28 PM CDT

Elder day care closure frustrates families

Carol Sanders 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

A day program that helps older adults in Charleswood stay connected to their community is closing at the end of the month, causing concern for participants and their families now trying to fill the void.

Time to intervene on hubby and therapy ‘buddy’

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My husband has been going to a therapy group to work through some trauma in his past. He seems almost high when he comes home — always in too good a mood and plays his guitar for hours. He won’t come to bed with me either and doesn’t want to make love those nights.

I just found out from a female friend who also goes to this therapy group that one of my man’s exes turns out to be in this same group. She’s seen them at the café where some group members go after meetings for coffee. They usually sit as a group, she says, but my husband and this woman have started breaking off from the main crew for private talks at another table.

When I asked my man about her, he was indignant. He said, “I come home to you, don’t I? Isn’t that enough?” Now he claims he’s helping his ex talk through her trauma. That may be so, but he seems way too happy and smug when he finally comes home.

This ex was the first girl he ever had sex with. I know exactly what she meant to him — until she dropped him on his head. So what can I do? I can’t just ignore it and let it go. He’s my husband till death do us part, right?

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC / THE CARILLON City of Steinbach candidate Mitesh Kumar stands in front of Steinbach’s famed clock tower. A hate banner was displayed by a neo-Nazi group on Tuesday that disparaged non-white candidates in the city’s election. Kumar and Greg Carlos are the only non-white candidates.

White-supremacist highway sign casts pall on Steinbach city council campaign

Matthew Frank 4 minute read Preview

White-supremacist highway sign casts pall on Steinbach city council campaign

Matthew Frank 4 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026

The RCMP is investigating a white-nationalist sign near Steinbach with racist messaging and alleged links to a known Canadian far-right group.

Read
Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026
Clinic volunteer Kelly Brown draws out Moderna vaccine during a drive through COVID-19 vaccine clinic at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., on January 2, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg

Canada buys up millions more doses of Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Canada buys up millions more doses of Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press 2 minute read Monday, Aug. 22, 2022

OTTAWA - The federal government has purchased a total of 12 million doses of Moderna's bivalent vaccine that targets both the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.

In a press release Monday, the company said Canada purchased 4.5 million new doses.

Those are in addition to 1.5 million doses originally scheduled to arrive in Canada next year. The delivery deadline has been pushed up and the doses are expected to land in Canada this year.

The government and the company also agreed to convert six million doses of the company's original COVID-19 Spikevax vaccine to bivalent doses.

Read
Monday, Aug. 22, 2022
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Incumbent city councillor Russ Wyatt (Transcona)

A decision with potential for ‘distraction’ and ‘disrespect’ in Transcona

Malak Abas 6 minute read Preview

A decision with potential for ‘distraction’ and ‘disrespect’ in Transcona

Malak Abas 6 minute read Yesterday at 5:24 PM CDT

Transcona voters acknowledge they have a tough decision to make at the ballot box on election day.

The east Winnipeg working-class ward is replete with lawn signs and posters, but most of the people the Free Press spoke with said they were still undecided.

While Winnipeg is, historically, more likely to elect an incumbent, longtime councillor Russ Wyatt is seeking a sixth term while facing five criminal charges, including sexual assault and administering a noxious substance, after incidents alleged to have occurred in 2023 and 2025.

Residents are not without options. In addition to Wyatt, former councillor Shawn Nason — who occupied the city council seat from 2018-22 is on the ballot (Wyatt chose not to run in the 2018 election after taking several months off to undergo addictions treatment) — there are three new faces on the ballot: Lora Meseman, Chris Giesbrecht and Nathine Dagdick.

Read
Yesterday at 5:24 PM CDT