Health Canada has now approved both the Pfzier and Moderna vaccines for anyone over the age of 12.
The vaccines were first authorized for use in December 2020 under an interim order which allowed a speedier rollout—that order expired on September 16th.
Now Pfizer and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for use in Canada under the Food and Drug Regulations.
This is welcome news as BC has implemented their BC Vaccine Card as a means to incentivize those who have not been vaccinated and avoid more restrictive COVID-19 measures.
To date, close to 80% of eligible British Columbians are fully-immunized.
With their approval, the vaccines have now transitioned to new names too.
“These are only name changes. There are no changes to the vaccines themselves,” Health Canada said.
Moderna’s vaccine will now be called “Spikevaxx,” Pfizer’s vaccine will now be known as “Comirnaty,” and AstraZeneca’s will be called “Vaxzevria.
As of this publication, over 84 per cent of Canadians over the age of 12 have received at least one COVID-19 shot, and over 77 per cent of eligible Canadians are now fully vaccinated.