“We did expect them a lot sooner than now.”

Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee offered that assessment Thursday afternoon during a media briefing on subjects related to COVID-19.

She was referring to the arrival in the territory of Moderna bivalent vaccine doses, which provide protection against both the Omicron and the original COVID-19 variants.

The new dose contains the mRNA sequence for the spike protein of both strains. It’s recommended to be taken no sooner than six months after receiving an earlier COVID-19 vaccine.

This is the first bivalent COVID-19 authorized in Canada, and most regions of Canada have received their initial shipments.

On Sept. 1, McPhee and Dr. Sudit Ranade, the new chief medical officer of health, said in a statement the Moderna bivalent vaccine would arrive later in the month.

There were no further specifics about an arrival time revealed during Thursday’s briefing.

“We are working with our partners (in the federal government) to receive this vaccine as soon as possible,” McPhee said.

“The recognition that the North should be properly provided with these vaccines is the message that we are continuing to take to the federal government.”

She said she did not know how many doses will arrive. After they’re here, she added, medical practitioners will have to be trained on administering them.

“It will be available to Yukoners as soon as we have it,” she said.

A reporter informed her a Public Health Agency of Canada website detailing the deliveries of the Moderna Spikevax bivalent across Canada reports 900 doses have already been distributed to the Yukon.

Asked about the discrepancy, McPhee said her remarks about the vaccine not yet being in the territory were based on the latest information she had been with provided with.

“We expect that we will have our share of them, but we are continuing to seek higher numbers,” she said.

“We did expect them a bit sooner than now, but we continue on a daily basis to be in touch to say that we need those as soon as possible so that individuals can have access to them.”

On other issues, McPhee said it’s been “a tremendous challenge” to keep the education system functioning since most schools reopened on Aug. 22.

The Department of Education’s goal is to keep them open during the full run of the pandemic, she said.

“The need to catch up will be important to children at a transitional point in their education,” she said. “We expect the public health situation to continue evolving.”

Each school’s circumstances vis-à-vis COVID-19 will be examined individually, she added.

“The Department of Education is committed to keeping schools open and safe for kids.”

The government expects pending recommendations from Ranade’s office will shift from coping with the acute stage of the pandemic to supporting Yukoners during the subsequent time period, she said.

“Staying up to date on vaccines and getting boosted as soon as you are eligible is your best protection against COVID 19 and the serious outcomes, such as hospitalization or even death from the virus,” she said.

Citing “mild respiratory symptoms” himself, Ranade participated in Thursday’s event remotely. He said he “concurs with everything” McPhee said about safeguarding school students and staff.

“Even in non-COVID times, the beginning of school in the fall was always a time when respiratory viruses in particular would start to circulate in that community,” he said.

“We will probably see more and more strains of COVID included in vaccines,” he later told reporters.

“All of the vaccines give relatively good protection from severe outcomes from the virus.”

McPhee was asked if she believes the COVID emergency is over.

“We can’t say the pandemic is over anywhere,” she said. “We know of people who are coming down with COVID-19, and it is moving through the communities.

“We are not treating COVID-19 as being over. We continue to live with COVID-19. We hope that things won’t change for the worst.

“Vaccines are safe and effective and help strengthen our children’s protection against the virus,” the minister stressed.

Ranade said about 55 per cent of Yukoners have received three doses.

While the pandemic isn’t over, he said, it’s constantly evolving due to the creations of the various vaccines and the discoveries of more variants.

The top doctor said it’s also crucial to maintain awareness of the necessity of maintaining childhood immunizations, such as mumps, tetanus, diphtheria and measles.

COVID-19 has claimed 31 lives in the Yukon.

The territory’s official case numbers of eight on Wednesday and seven on Thursday have maintained the low numbers not seen since April 2020. There was also one new case on each of those days.

Whitehorse recorded three active cases both Wednesday and Thursday, while Watson Lake had one on each of those days.

Dawson City fell from two on Wednesday to one on Thursday, and Carmacks recorded a new one yesterday.

The seven-day positivity rate for Wednesday stood at 16.4 per cent and 16.7 per cent for Thursday.

A significant change occurred in the Whitehorse General Hospital rating on Thursday when it went to green from the yellow status it had held over the past three months.

Its intensive care unit and the Watson Lake and Dawson City hospitals were all at green on Thursday.

No new fatalities and no new hospitalizations have occurred since Monday.