Ontario’s Best Physician to Announce Extended Eligibility for Third Dose COVID Booster Vaccines | The Canadian News

Ontario’s medical director of health will hold a press conference Thursday afternoon on expanding the eligibility for the COVID-19 booster dose in the province.

Dr. Kieran Moore is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m.

Moore said earlier this week that an “accelerated third dose strategy” would be part of the new measures the province could introduce as a way to combat the new variant, Omicron.

Alberta announced Wednesday that it will expand booster shots to all adults 18 and older.

Third doses were already available in late summer for high-risk populations, such as transplant recipients, patients with hematologic cancers undergoing active treatment, recipients of an anti-CD20 agent, residents of long-term care homes and retirement homes, those of First Nations. elderly and elderly care lodges in congregated settings.

In early November, the third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were further expanded for people aged 70 and over, those who had previously received two doses of AstraZeneca, healthcare workers, and others.

So far, 86 percent of Ontario residents age 12 and older are fully vaccinated and nearly 90 percent have at least one dose. Starting last week, Pfizer’s pediatric injections began reaching the arms of children ages five to 11 after Health Canada approved them.

– with files from Don Mitchell

See link »