COVID-19 injections can now be given at the same time as other injections, or at any time before or after them.
The National Immunization Advisory Committee updated its recommendations Tuesday, to indicate that it is no longer necessary to space out routine injections and COVID vaccines.
The agency previously recommended that COVID vaccines be administered at least 28 days before and 14 days after other injections.
“We now have a lot more experience with COVID-19 vaccines,” said NACI President Shelley Deeks.
He added that the change will simplify the implementation of flu vaccination programs this fall and make it easier for people to receive other routine vaccinations that they did not receive due to the pandemic.
Canada’s director of public health, Dr. Theresa Tam, echoed the sentiments.
“Being able to administer COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as other vaccines, or within days after, will make it easier for Canadians to get their vaccinations at the right time, especially as we approach flu season,” Tam said. . “This will also make it easier to catch up on other routine vaccinations that may have been delayed due to the pandemic.”
Researchers from the University of Toronto Center for Vaccine Preventable Diseases, From the Lana School of Public Health and the McMaster College of Health Sciences are calling on the province to develop an upgrade strategy to urgently close the gaps in vaccine coverage to prevent another health crisis.
In a new report, researchers suggest that regular vaccinations for children, including those that protect against measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease, and human papillomavirus, have been derailed by the shutdown. of schools and public health measures.
It is unclear if the update will apply to vaccinating children under 12 years of age.
The committee’s recommendations state that no specific safety issues have been identified when routine vaccines are given at the same time or days apart. However, there is the possibility of an “increase in temporary side effects” when a COVID vaccine and another injection are given at the same time or days apart. Studies are underway looking at the simultaneous administration of COVID-19 vaccines with other vaccines.
The committee adds that vaccines given during the same visit must be injected into different parts of the body. As with other vaccines, when possible, administration on the same day is preferred over vaccines being administered within a few days of each other.
Reference-www.thestar.com