Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said COVID-19 resembles a seasonal flu and booster shots should be distributed based on risk. .“I think it’s going to be very similar to the flu, where we only vaccinate the people at high risk,” said Bancel. .“People above 50 years of age, people with comorbidity, people with cancer and other conditions and transplants.” .Bancel said about 1.5 billion people around the world should take an annual booster because of their risk. He said young people should be able to decide for themselves what they want to do. .The CEO went on to say he's taken a flu shot for the past 20 years because he does not want to be sick and be able to go to work. He added the best way to fight illness is through prevention, and vaccines “are one of the most amazing healthcare tools we will have.” .Bancel said the uptake for the COVID-19 bivalent booster is stronger than for flu shots. He said young people might want to take boosters to protect at-risk communities and prevent illness to avoid missing out on work or vacations. .“We will have to see until the end of the season for the first time when we will be more in an endemic setting than a pandemic setting,” he said. .Health Canada green lit a bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Sept. 1 and directed it be used as a booster shot for people 18 and older. .READ MORE: Health Canada authorizes first bivalent COVID-19 booster.Bivalent vaccines will target the initial COVID-19 virus and the Omicron variant. They are the first of their kind ever authorized in Canada. .Health Canada determined the bivalent vaccines were safe and effective after a thorough, independent scientific review of the evidence. Clinical trials showed a booster dose of the vaccine triggered a strong immune response against the first strain and Omicron. .Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis called for Canada to launch a federal inquiry into COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday. .READ MORE: Lewis demands inquiry into COVID-19 vaccines.“Its executives sat in silence while trusted officials gave incorrect info to the public,” said Lewis. . “That’s just wrong.”
