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Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster available for kids five to 11 in N.S.

A man receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine dose at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes) A man receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine dose at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)
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Kids aged five to 11 can now get Pfizer's bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose in Nova Scotia.

The vaccine is the only one of its kind authorized in Canada as a booster dose for this age group.

The province says the booster offers strong protection against the Omicron strain of COVID-19 and the original strains.

The recommended time between the first two doses of COVID-19 vaccine – known as the primary series – and the booster dose is 168 days, according to the province.

It’s recommended kids wait the same amount of time after testing positive for COVID-19 before getting the booster.

The province says kids who are moderately to severely immunocompromised only have to wait 120 days since their last dose of the three-dose primary series. For this group, the 120-day wait time is also recommended after testing positive.

Only one booster dose is recommended right now for 5 to 11-year-olds. The province says those who already got a booster with the original Pfizer vaccine are expected to be well-protected.

Government says parents of children who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 disease may choose to speak with their health-care provider about their child receiving a bivalent booster dose once the recommended time has passed since their first booster.

If a child hasn’t finished their primary rounds of COVID-19 vaccine, the province says parents and guardians should book those appointments as soon as possible.

Starting Tuesday, the province says only bivalent vaccines will be available when booking booster doses for everyone aged five and older,

Nova Scotia Public Health recommends the bivalent vaccine for doses after the primary series is complete.

Appointments can be booked online or by calling 1-833-797-7772.

Vaccine scheduling by phone is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. People who have not completed their primary series can also book the same way. Most COVID-19 vaccines are administered at pharmacies.

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