The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends that booster vaccine doses once morest COVID-19 be offered next fall to several Canadian clienteles. In a paper released Wednesday, the Committee proposes that people at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 might receive a booster dose, regardless of the number of booster doses already received.
The people particularly targeted are adults aged 65 and over, residents of long-term care facilities or group living environments for seniors, people aged 12 and over who have a condition that exposes them to a high risk of a severe form of COVID-19, Métis, Inuit and people living in First Nations communities where infection can lead to disproportionate consequences, adults from racialized or marginalized communities as well as people aged 12 and over living in congregate settings such as migrant workers’ quarters, shelters and correctional facilities.
NACI recommends that the fall booster dose be offered following an interval of at least six months since a previous dose or COVID-19 infection. However, the Committee adds that a shorter interval of at least three months might be justified in the context of an increased epidemiological risk. The likelihood, timing and severity of a future wave of COVID-19 are uncertain, according to NACI, which adds that the incidence of the coronavirus may increase in late fall and winter, which will pose a risk to individuals and communities and increase the pressure on health systems.
Photo credit: The Canadian Press, Christopher Katsarov.