Anticipation is mounting for Health Canada to approve an updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine in advance of a possible new wave of infections this fall.

Earlier this week, British regulators became the first in the world to authorize Moderna’s bivalent vaccine.

It protects against both the original strain of COVID-19 and the B.A.1 subvariant.

Health Canada is currently reviewing bivalent booster candidates from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, which has some people debating whether to wait for the revamped shots or go for a booster now.

Experts say the extent to which the bivalent vaccines provide additional protection from catching COVID-19 is still being studied.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Zain Chagla says they may not be the game-changer that some have hoped for in curbing the spread of the virus.

He points to emerging research suggesting the protection from current boosters wanes within six to eight weeks, and expects that bivalent vaccines could extend this by just a few more weeks, not months.