Canada on Friday authorised updated COVID-19 booster shots from Pfizer Inc and its partner BioNTech SE that target the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, according to the government's website.

The booster shot, which has been authorised for people 12 years and older, is the second to get clearance from Health Canada after Moderna Inc's modified booster last month.

Moderna's vaccine booster was cleared for use in adults.

The so-called bivalent vaccines target both the original variant as well as the two Omicron subvariants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August authorised both updated COVID-19 booster shots.

Regulators in the European Union and Japan have also cleared Pfizer's updated booster shot.

(Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)