Children aged 5-11 can now get Pfizer's bivalent COVID-19 booster in N.S.

Children aged five to 11 in the province can now receive Pfizer-BioNTech's bivalent COVID-19 booster shot.

The Department of Health says it's the only bivalent dose authorizedfor this age group in Canada, and "offers strong protection against both the Omicron and original strains."

Appointments for theage group opened on Tuesday, according to a news release from the department.

"At this time, only a single booster dose is recommended for children aged five to 11, and those who have already received a booster with the original Pfizer vaccine are expected to be well protected," the news release said.

Starting Tuesday, the bivalent dose is the only booster available for everyone aged five and up in the province, the release said, describing it as "the preferred type" oncethe primary series has been completed.

The recommended interval between the primary series of COVID-19 vaccines and the bivalent dose is 168 daysfor most children. Those who have contracted the virus should also wait 168 days after infectionbefore receiving it.

Children who are immunocompromisedcan receive their bivalent dose 120 days after the last of their three-dose primary series, or a SARS-CoV-2infection.

Health Canada approved Pfizer's bivalent dose for children aged five to 11 in early December. Thedose hasbeen available to Nova Scotians 12and older since October.