Canadians should get another COVID-19 vaccine booster in the fall if it鈥檚 been at least six months since their last dose or COVID-19 infection, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) said on Tuesday.

鈥淏ooster doses in the fall will be formulations updated to target more recent, immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants,鈥� the NACI statement said.

鈥淚ndividuals vaccinated with the updated formulation are expected to benefit from a better immune response against these variants compared to current vaccines,鈥� it said.

NACI continued to strongly recommend that anyone five years of age and older who hasn鈥檛 yet been vaccinated should be immunized with a primary two-dose series of an mRNA vaccine.

It also issued a 鈥渄iscretionary recommendation鈥� that children six months to five years of age who haven鈥檛 yet been vaccinated get the two-dose primary series of an mRNA vaccine.

The bivalent Omicron-containing mRNA vaccines can be used for people receiving their first two-dose vaccination series, NACI said.

Immunization this fall is 鈥減articularly important for those at increased risk of COVID-19 infection or severe disease,鈥� NACI鈥檚 statement said.

Those vulnerable groups include people aged 65 and older, residents of long-term care homes or other group living settings, people with underlying medical conditions, people who are pregnant, people from First Nations, M茅tis and Inuit communities, people who are racialized and people who provide essential community services, it said.

The mRNA vaccines available in Canada are manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.

Although mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are 鈥減referred,鈥� NACI said Novavax鈥檚 Nuvaxovid should be offered as a booster to adults 18 years of age and older who are 鈥渦nwilling or unable to receive an mRNA vaccine.鈥�

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