Will the vaccine work against new variants of COVID-19?

Yes, the vaccines approved in Canada are proving effective against variants of concern, such as Omicron XBB variants. They are still especially effective at preventing severe illness and death. 

A new vaccine formulation is available that will offer better protection against the XBB variant.

One way to slow down new variants from emerging is getting most people vaccinated as soon as possible. Even if you don’t think you need the vaccine to protect yourself, getting it can help to prevent mutations and new variants from emerging. 

You can learn more from:

• Do COVID-19 vaccines protect against the variants? (Mayo Clinic)
• Here’s How Well COVID-19 Vaccines Work Against the Delta Variant (HealthLine)
• Vaccines highly effective against hospitalisation from Delta variant (Public Health England)
• The effects of virus variants on COVID-19 vaccines (World Health Organization)
• Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant (New England Journal of Medicine)