Many Nova Scotians struggling to book COVID-19 booster, with only 1 bivalent shot available

Many Nova Scotians are getting frustrated as they wait for the Pfizer bivalent booster to become available in the province.

Moderna’s Spikevax bivalent booster has been available in Nova Scotia for just over a month for individuals aged 18 and over.

However, Pfizer’s bivalent booster – which targets the more common Omicron subvariants B.A. 4 and 5 -- is still not approved by the province.

Residents in neighbouring New Brunswick are already able to get their Pfizer bivalent boosters after being approved last week.

“I would say that the premiere of Nova Scotia needs to call the premier of New Brunswick and find out what they’re doing differently,” says the Nova Scotia Liberal Party’s health critic, Brendan Maguire.

The lack of a second vaccine booster is causing delays in getting any shot. Some Nova Scotians trying to book an appointment are finding they have to travel for hours to get it.

Nova Scotia Health spokesperson Khalelha Perrault declined CTV’s request for an interview Monday, but said in an email that there was no shortage in the vaccine supply.

“The bivalent vaccine appointments continue to be added to CANImmunize and people should check back as they are added on a continual basis. More information about the Pfizer bivalent vaccine will be available this week,” said Perrault.

“I would argue that there is a shortage of vaccines if you’re asking people to drive two, three, four hours to get it. If we were flush with vaccines, then there’d be availability in peoples' communities,” Maguire says.

Health Canada approved the Pfizer bivalent booster on Oct. 7. Today, most other provinces are now offering a choice between it and Moderna.

It was approved in New Brunswick on Friday.

“Definitely seeing an uptick, a lot of people are calling to try to book an appointment and inquiring about how to get the vaccine,” says New Brunswick pharmacist Dennis Abud.

Abud is getting his first shipment of the Pfizer bivalent vaccine on Tuesday. He’ll start putting needles in arms in his Dieppe, N.B., clinic on Thursday.

“Right now, I think this week, we’re getting a little over a 100 doses and we’re trying to gauge the demand,” Abud says.

Demand for a shot not yet available in any other Maritime province.

The province of New Brunswick received a little more than 110,000 shots of the Pfizer bivalent booster.