After years of long lines and occasional shortages, more Americans are opting not to get the updated COVID-19 vaccine this year, according to a new national survey.

Health data show that COVID-19 still surpasses all other infectious respiratory illnesses as a cause of severe illness, hospitalization and, sadly, death. The good news is that the margin between COVID-19 and influenza is the slimmest it has ever been.

With the approval of Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are hoping the shots will be available soon and Albertans will opt to roll up their sleeves to get one.

Novavax uses a protein-based vaccine strategy, which means people getting the vaccine receive a protein made by the virus that their body’s immune systems then see as foreign and mount responses against. mRNA vaccines, by contrast, include snippets of mRNA genetic material from the COVID-19 virus’ spike protein.

Pfizer Canada says Health Canada has approved its updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against one of the most recently circulating variants of the virus.