WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is expanding access for a bivalent COVID-19 booster to people 18 and older. Those who qualify can start booking appointments on Thursday. The bivalent vaccine, which targets the original strain of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, was approved earlier this month by Health Canada. Previously, Manitobans 65 and older, people with certain medical conditions, health care workers, people in nursing homes and Indigenous adults were eligible for the shot. The province recommends that people wait six months after their last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine to receive their bivalent booster in order to get the best immune response. The minimum interval between the last dose and the reminder is three months. The province says, as of Monday, 3,216 doses of the bivalent vaccine had been administered in Manitoba and immunizations at personal care homes and other facilities are ongoing. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 21, 2022. The Canadian Press
