Dr Kieran Moore made the announcement late on Wednesday morning, saying people in this age group can make an appointment using the provincial system from 8am on July 14. While appointments for the fourth dose will be available to all adults six months after their third shot or three months after contracting COVID-19, Moore said it’s “not absolutely necessary” for people who don’t have underlying problems. health. Healthy adults may want to wait until the fall when a “bivalent vaccine for COVID-19” may be available, Moore said. “While we have this option, it is important to note that healthy, vaccinated individuals continue to have significant, persistent protection from serious disease even six months after the last dose,” he said. “However, there may be people with personal or medical conditions in these age groups who may benefit from the added protection of a second booster.” Anyone with questions about whether or not to get a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should contact their healthcare provider. Prior to this announcement, fourth doses were only available to people aged 60 and over, as well as immunocompromised people and Indigenous adults. The news comes as Ontario enters a seventh wave of the pandemic, with a peak expected in the next few weeks, according to Moore. Ontario has seen a spike in COVID-19 in sewage, as well as an increase in the positivity rate, hospitalizations and ICU admissions in recent weeks. Moore told reporters that the new wave is experiencing a “slower trajectory” compared to previous waves due to vaccination rates and the availability of new treatments. Officials also said they will continue to provide free rapid antigen tests to the general public at grocery stores and pharmacies until Dec. 31. This is a developing story. More to come.
title: “Ontario S Covid 19 Booster Eligibility Extended " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-06” author: “Etta Gibson”
Dr Kieran Moore made the announcement late on Wednesday morning, saying people in this age group can make an appointment using the provincial system from 8am on July 14. While appointments for the fourth dose will be available to all adults five months after their third shot or three months after contracting COVID-19, Moore said it’s “not absolutely necessary” for people who don’t have underlying problems. health. Healthy adults may want to wait until the fall when a “bivalent vaccine for COVID-19” may be available, Moore said. “While we have this option, it is important to note that healthy, vaccinated individuals continue to have significant, persistent protection from serious disease even six months after the last dose,” he said. “However, there may be people with personal or medical conditions in these age groups who may benefit from the added protection of a second booster.” Moore added that personal circumstances could also play a role in whether a person chooses to get the second booster shot. Healthcare workers and those who work in busy environments should get the dose, while those with at-risk family members may also choose to get a fourth shot. Anyone with questions about whether or not to receive a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should contact their healthcare provider. Moore could not provide much clarity on the components of the bivalent vaccine offered in the fall, saying that depending on the subvariant it targets, it may not be available until November or December. He also said there would be a “minimal separation” between that dose and the drop dose. Moore said they would typically recommend a five-month separation, but it could be as short as three months for those at higher risk. Prior to this announcement, fourth doses were only available to people aged 60 and over, as well as immunocompromised people and Indigenous adults. Ontario epidemiologists are divided about the value of offering quarter doses in the summer. Just over four million people who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have yet to get a third, prompting some experts to say boosters should be offered because of waning immunity. Dr. Susy Hota, medical director of infection prevention and control at University Health Network, told CTV News Toronto last week that residents should not wait for other vaccines that may target specific variants or subvariants, as it is more important to reduce the risk of severe disease-related symptoms and death. Meanwhile, infectious disease physician Dr. Dale Kalina told CP24 that there isn’t much benefit from fourth doses unless a person has a poor immune system. “The people who really need boosters, in general, are people whose immune systems aren’t working particularly well. So people over the age of 70 or if you are taking medicines that suppress your immune system.’ Quebec and the United States have already opened fourth doses to the general population.
COVID-19 TO PEAK NEXT TWO WEEKS: MOORE
The news comes as Ontario enters a seventh wave of the pandemic, with a peak expected in the next few weeks, according to Moore. Ontario has seen a spike in COVID-19 in sewage, as well as an increase in the positivity rate, hospitalizations and ICU admissions in recent weeks. Moore told reporters that the new wave is experiencing a “slower trajectory” compared to previous waves due to vaccination rates and the availability of new treatments. Moore added that there could be as many as 5,000 cases of COVID-19 within the community as of Wednesday. Despite that, he said Ontario has no plans to reinstate public health measures lifted earlier this year, although it continues to recommend wearing masks indoors in crowded settings. Officials also said they will continue to provide free rapid antigen tests to the general public at grocery stores and pharmacies until Dec. 31. No changes have been made regarding access to PCR tests.
