COVID live updates: Quebec offers vaccine booster dose to 12-17 age group starting tomorrow

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Updated throughout the day on Friday, Feb. 18. Questions/comments: [email protected]

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8:50 a.m.

Quebec offers vaccine booster doses to 12-17 age group starting tomorrow

Quebec will begin offering third doses of COVID-19 vaccines to people age 12 to 17 tomorrow, the Health Department announced this morning.

Appointments are to be available on the Clic Santé appointment booking site as of Saturday, Feb 19.

The move comes after a recommendation from the Comité consultatif national de l’immunization (CIQ).

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The CIQ recommends that booster doses be administered to people in this age group who are at higher risk of complications related to COVID.

“Young people living in closed congregate settings should also get this booster dose given the particularly high risk of transmission,” the Health Department said.

“The CIQ also specifies that the booster dose can be offered to all young people aged 12 to 17 who have no contraindications and who would like to have this additional dose.

“Like those in adults, studies in adolescents show a decrease in protection against infection over time. A booster dose is expected to bring about greater vaccine efficacy in young people aged 12 to 17, in the short term, against new variants, including Omicron.”

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The third dose should be administered at least three months after the last dose was received, the department says.

The CIQ says the Pfizer vaccine is recommended in this age group “due to a slightly lower risk of developing complications (myocarditis) after vaccination.”

People 12-17 who have contracted COVID “can, if they wish, receive a booster dose, after informed consent has been expressed.”

The CIQ recommends an interval of three months after infection.

8:35 a.m.

Police begin fresh round of arrests in Ottawa as House cancels sitting

A fresh round of arrests of protesters camped outside Parliament Hill began this morning, The Canadian Press reports.

Police say on Twitter there is a large police presence on Nicholas Street downtown and protesters are being advised to leave immediately.

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They say some are surrendering and being arrested.

The action follows several arrests made Thursday night including of key organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.

The House of Commons will not sit today to debate emergency measures brought in to deal with the protest just outside its doors that is entering its fourth week.

A note from Speaker Anthony Rota says the sitting is canceled because of the police operation set to take place by Parliament Hill and other locations around Ottawa’s downtown core.

8:30 a.m.

Targeted vaccination helped flatten COVID’s third wave: Montreal study

A recent study by the Montreal public health department suggests using targeted vaccination in COVID-19 hot spots early can help slow transmission — a lesson the authors hope will be considered during future waves of COVID-19 or in the event of another pandemic.

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Read our full story, by Katelyn Thomas.

8:30 a.m.

Police arrest some organizers as Ottawa blockade members defy orders to leave

Police arrested two of the main organizers behind an antigovernment demonstration on Parliament Hill late Thursday, as large trucks continued to ignore demands they leave an ongoing blockade that has antagonized residents for weeks.

Read our full story.

8:15 a.m.

Quebec COVID guide: Vaccinations, vaccine passports, testing, restrictions

Vaccinations

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Vaccine passport

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testing

Pandemic restrictions

8:15 a.m.

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