Destroy old COVID shots to get new ones? What’s behind the guidance

Do provinces and territories need to destroy their old COVID-19 vaccines before getting the new fall booster shots?

As Canadians prepare for the rollout of a fall booster campaign, some provinces have said they are being ordered to destroy old supplies of the existing vaccine before they can get new supplies.

With vaccination on hold in most regions as a result, here’s what to know about why Health Canada wants the old vaccines pulled from the market, and how provinces are preparing for the rollout.

The current vaccines being used in Canada target the XBB variant of COVID-19.

But that’s no longer the main circulating variant and, just like with flu shots, the vaccine has been updated to target a newer variant and is currently waiting on approval in Canada.

“Once approved, updated COVID-19 vaccines will replace the current supply,” Health Canada says. “Withdrawing the previous XBB vaccines is part of regulatory and supply management best practices, consistent with the approach to annual influenza vaccines.”

Health Canada says it’s up to individual jurisdictions to decide how to get rid of the current XBB vaccines. It also says current doses can be kept until the updated vaccine is available.

In a statement to Global News on Friday, Health Canada said the Public Health Agency of Canada had collaborated with provinces and territories to develop a vaccine withdrawal plan to ensure a “stable supply” of vaccines to support upcoming fall vaccination campaigns.

“Each jurisdiction has the flexibility, based on the size, scale and complexity of their immunization program and distribution system, on their approach to implementing or modifying this plan,” said Anna Madison, a spokesperson with Health Canada and PHAC.

“Some have chosen to communicate a withdrawal of all products after Aug. 31 to allow time for all providers to remove stock from their clinics in anticipation of regulatory approval for new 2024/25 COVID-19 vaccine formulations. Others have chosen a phased approach, such as honouring appointments already booked for this period but not offering additional bookings or walk-in appointments, while maintaining a central stock to respond to urgent needs.”

She added that the start of efforts to remove the vaccines from market began on Sept. 1 and that there would be a “period of transition” to full removal and replacement of new formulations once approved.

A notice previously posted to Health Canada’s website advised health professionals that after Aug. 31, the XBB.1.5 vaccine would no longer be available for use in the country, with vaccines to target the JN.1 or KP.2 strains expected to be authorized in the coming weeks.

That notice was available up until Sept. 4, when it was changed.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Health told Global News that Health Canada had ordered the provinces to withdraw and destroy all remaining supplies of the current vaccine, which  targets the XBB.1.5 strain of COVID-19.

A provincial government official told Global News on background that in August, the federal agency had started a new regulatory process for the vaccines, “which resulted in a contractual obligation for Health Canada to withdraw all XBB products from the market until a lot could be released and distributed in Canada.”

“As the new vaccines cannot be distributed until the remaining supply is withdrawn and destroyed, provinces cannot order an interim supply of vaccines to vaccinate their population while awaiting the approval and distribution of the updated vaccination,” the official wrote.

Health Canada noted that, as of Sept. 3, the KP.3.1.1 was estimated to account for 52 per cent of infections in Canada, making it the dominant strain spreading in the country.

As of Sept. 6, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick have all suspended their vaccine campaigns. Quebec to do the same on Sept. 14.

The office of British Columbia’s provincial health officer said the current vaccine would be available until a new product is approved, though advised people should wait for the new formula if they can.

Prince Edward Island does not have notices on suspension on its website and did not reply to an inquiry from Global News before this story was published.

While approvals for an updated vaccine have not yet been made in Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved and granted emergency use authorization for an updated monovalent vaccine that corresponds to the KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2.

In its approval last month, it also noted the vaccine targeting KP.2 was closely enough related to the KP.3.1.1 strain that the vaccine promised cross-protection.

According to Health Canada, vaccine submissions from Pfizer, Moderna and the protein-based Novavax are being reviewed “on an expedited basis” by Health Canada.

In a statement, Tammy Jarbeau said if the vaccines meet safety, efficacy and quality standards, Health Canada expects them to be authorized in time for fall vaccination campaigns.

Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines targeting the XBB.1.5 COVID-19 variant were approved last September.

The two mRNA vaccines began rollout within weeks of approval in October.

Novavax’s protein-based vaccine received approval in December, with rollout shortly after in winter 2024.

—with files from The Canadian Press

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