At-risk populations are to be the first people eligible to receive the Moderna bivalent vaccine in Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority says starting Monday, people 18 and over who live in long-term care and personal care homes and other congregate living facilities will be eligible to receive that COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose.
Those homes are to be contacted directly to arrange for the shots.
Then, starting Sept. 19, the bivalent vaccine will be available as a booster at SHA vaccination clinics and at participating pharmacies to all Saskatchewan residents 70 and over and those 50 and over in First Nation and Metis communities in the province.
Saskatchewan is receiving around 90,000 doses of the Health Canada-approved vaccine over the next two weeks. The bivalent vaccine protects against the original strain of COVID and provides protection against Omicron variants as well.
“When booking your booster appointments at an SHA clinic, you are not required to specify which COVID-19 vaccine you wish to receive,” the SHA said in a media release. “The option will be provided to eligible individuals in the clinic at the time of vaccination, starting Sept. 19.”
People wanting to get the Moderna bivalent booster dose should wait at least four months after their most-recent COVID vaccination, no matter how many doses they’ve received to date.
The SHA said other age groups will become eligible to get the bivalent vaccine as more doses arrive in the province. That’s expected to happen in early October.