COVID-19: Booster dose eligibility expanding to 50+ Dec. 13

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Huron-Perth residents 50 and older will be able to book appointments for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, Dec. 13, public health officials have confirmed.

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Huron Perth public health said Friday residents in that age group will be eligible to receive a third dose as long as it’s been at least six months – 168 days – since their second jab.

When appointments open, they can be booked through the health unit, select pharmacies and primary-care providers.

“Vaccination is our best defense against COVID-19, especially as we head into the holiday season,” said Dr. Miriam Klassen, the region’s medical officer of health. “Expanded eligibility for booster doses is welcome news and I encourage everyone who is eligible to get their third dose when enough time has passed.”

Ontario announced expanded booster dose eligibility on Thursday, with the first appointments in the provincial booking system also becoming available Dec. 13. Ontario will further expand eligibility for booster doses in January based on age and risk, with an interval of six to eight months from the second dose.

“If you are eligible for a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, please book your appointment as soon as you can to provide yourself with an extra layer of protection,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said.

“If you have not yet received the vaccine, please do so today. This includes vaccinations for children aged five to 11. Achieving the highest vaccination rates possible remains our best tool to protect us, reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and fight the significant surge of new cases and the new Omicron variant. ”

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A limited supply of the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also be available starting Thursday, Moore said. The single-shot vaccine will be available to those 18 and older who have an allergy or contraindication to mRNA vaccines, or can be requested by individuals who have not yet been vaccinated by contacting their local public health unit.

Due to a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19, those receiving dialysis (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) are eligible to receive a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine if it has been 56 days since their second dose. That policy shift is effective immediately, the government said.

The province is also recommending revaccination with a new COVID-19 vaccine primary series post-transplantation for individuals who receive hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT), hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) (autologous or allogeneic), and recipients of CAR-T-cell therapy due to the loss of immunity following therapy or transplant.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization now strongly recommends booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines for people older than 50.

The committee has suggested a booster dose may be offered to people 18 to 49 years old at least six months after they receive their first two doses. The committee has also strengthened its recommendation for several other groups, and now strongly suggests boosters for people who received a full series of the Oxford-AstraZeneca or Janssen vaccine, those in or from First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and front-line health workers .

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The new recommendations come after an urgent request from the federal government on the role of COVID-19 vaccine boosters in fighting the new Omicron variant. The World Health Organization has warned Omicron’s high number of mutations could signal that it is more transmissible than previous strains.

“We know that Canadians are asking increasingly about whether they should receive boosters, and that question is obviously of greater importance now with the new variant,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in a press conference this week.

On Nov. 19, the advisory committee suggested there is no evidence to date of waning of protection against severe disease from COVID-19 in the general fully vaccinated population.

The emerging evidence at the time suggested that while the vaccine becomes less effective at preventing infection over time, protection against severe illness and death appears to be more durable.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday when it comes to boosters, the priority is to follow the advisory committee’s advice on who should get them, and when, in light of the Omicron variant.

Vaccine supply will not be an issue, he said.

“We have lots of vaccines for boosters in Canada. We’re receiving more into the new year. We are fine in terms of quantity. The issue is, what is the best recommendation for people to get those boosters and when, ”he said.

-With files from Postmedia News and the Canadian Press