(Ottawa) The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines in the fall in anticipation of the next wave in Canada.
Posted yesterday at 10:59 p.m.
In a statement released Wednesday, NACI recommends that people at increased risk of complications from the disease be offered a booster dose of the vaccine in the fall, regardless of the number of doses of COVID-19 vaccine already received. .
The NACI recommendation is aimed in particular at people aged 65 and over, residents of long-term care facilities or congregate living settings for the elderly, and people aged 12 and over with an underlying medical condition that puts them at high risk of a severe form of COVID-19.
It also targets Indigenous adults living in First Nations communities or communities where infection can lead to disproportionate consequences, as well as those in racialized or marginalized communities, as well as places that house migrant workers, shelters and prison establishments.
Furthermore, NACI strongly recommends that the rest of the population aged 12 and over also have access to a booster dose in the fall, regardless of the number of doses of the vaccine already received, provided that there is a difference of at least six months with the previous dose.
“The epidemiology of COVID-19 continues to evolve and there is still great uncertainty about the likelihood, timing and severity of any future wave of COVID-19. It is possible that, as with other respiratory viruses, the incidence of this disease will increase in late fall and winter and that new variants of concern may emerge,” NACI said.
Preliminary data suggest a waning of infection- or vaccine-acquired immunity over time, warranting subsequent doses of vaccine, particularly in populations at high risk for complications.