Here's when British Columbians can expect to get the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine

Health officials say the B.C. government is ready to begin administering doses of Moderna's Omicron-targeting bivalent vaccine "as soon as we get it" – and the wait shouldn't be long.

Some 780,000 doses of the newly authorized vaccine are arriving in Canada Friday, and federal officials are expecting upwards of 10 million more by the end of September.

In a statement, B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said "most people" in the province should be able to receive a dose in September or October.

"Over the past few months, we have been hard at work to prepare for the rollout of the fall COVID-19 booster," they said. "Once the supply arrives, we are all set to begin distribution."

The shots will be administered at health authority clinics and pharmacies across the province, as they were during previous rollouts.

Health officials urged the public to get a bivalent vaccine as soon as they're eligible, promising the doses are "better adapted and more effective at protecting people against the Omicron variant, which is the most common right now in our province."

"With the start of the respiratory illness season, it is especially important to make sure that people are up to date on their vaccines. Our COVID-19 immunization strategy has been effective in protecting people from the virus, and we must stay diligent in continuing to do so," Dix and Henry said in their statement.

More details on the timing of the rollout and eligibility will be provided on Sept. 6, the government said.

The latest guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization is that adults who are recommended to receive a fall booster dose should get the bivalent vaccine – but that those who are considered at highest risk "should not delay their planned vaccination in anticipation of a bivalent Omicron-containing COVID-19 vaccine," as the original mRNA vaccines will still offer timely protection.

Moderna submitted its new vaccine for Health Canada regulatory approval on June 30, two months before the authorization was announced Thursday.

"After a thorough and independent scientific review of the evidence, Health Canada has determined that the bivalent Moderna Spikevax booster is safe and effective," said the health agency. "It was also found to generate a good immune response against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants."

Another bivalent vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech has also been submitted for approval in Canada.

With files from CTVNews.ca's Rachel Aiello