Ontario is opening eligibility for the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to all adults 18 and older this week, however the province’s chief medical officer of health says healthy adults may want to wait until the fall.
Dr. Kieran Moore made the announcement Wednesday morning, saying people in this age group can book an appointment using the county system starting at 8 a.m. on July 14.
While appointments for the fourth dose will be available to all adults five months after the third, or three months after a COVID-19 infection, Moore said it’s “not absolutely necessary” for people who don’t have problems with underlying health.
Healthy adults may want to wait until the fall, when a “bivalent COVID-19 vaccine” becomes available, Moore said.
“As we make this option available, it is important to note that healthy and currently vaccinated people continue to have significant and persistent protection against serious illness, even six months after the last dose,” he said.
“However, there may be people with personal or medical circumstances in those age groups who may benefit from the added protection of a second booster.”
Moore added that personal circumstances could also influence whether a person chooses to get the second booster shot. Healthcare workers and those who work in crowded settings should get the dose, while those with family members who are at risk can also choose to get a fourth injection.
Anyone with questions about whether or not they should receive a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should contact their health care provider.
Moore was unable to provide much clarity on the components of the bivalent vaccine that will be offered in the fall, saying that depending on which subvariant you’re targeting, it may not be available until November or December.
He also said there would be a “minimal gap” between this dose and the fall dose. Moore said they would normally recommend a five-month separation, but it could be as short as three months for those most at risk.
Prior to this announcement, the fourth dose was only available to people over 60 years of age, as well as immunocompromised people and indigenous adults.
Ontario epidemiologists are divided on the value of offering the fourth dose in the summer. Just over four million people who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have yet to receive the third, prompting some experts to say boosters should be offered due to waning immunity.
Dr. Susy Hota, medical director for infection prevention and control at University Health Network, told CTV News Toronto last week that residents shouldn’t wait for other vaccines that may target specific variants or subvariants, as it is more important to reduce the risk of serious diseases. disease-related symptoms and death.
Meanwhile, infectious disease physician Dr. Dale Kalina told CP24 there isn’t much benefit from the fourth dose unless a person has a poor immune system.
“The people who really need booster doses, in general, are those whose immune systems don’t work particularly well. So people over 70 or if you’re taking drugs that suppress your immune system.”
Quebec and the United States have already opened fourth doses to the general population.
COVID-19 WILL PEAK IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS: MOORE
The news comes as Ontario enters a seventh wave of the pandemic, with a peak expected in the coming weeks, according to Moore.
Ontario has seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 in wastewater as well as an increase in the percentage of positivity, 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 approximately 5,000 cases of COVID-19 within the community as of Wednesday. Despite this fact, he said Ontario has no plans to reinstate the public health measures lifted earlier this year, though it still recommends wearing a mask indoors in crowded settings.
Officials have also said that they will continue to provide free rapid antigen tests to the general public in supermarkets and pharmacies until December 31.
No changes have been made regarding access to PCR tests.