(Montreal) The COVID-19 situation continues to evolve and certain groups of the population remain more vulnerable to the virus. The National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) published this week its vaccination recommendations for spring 2024.
A person vaccinated against COVID-19 is less likely to develop serious illness, but a gradual decrease in this protection is observed over a period of six months following vaccination. A booster dose is therefore necessary to maintain adequate protection, recalls the INSPQ in its most recent opinion.
Serious complications from COVID-19 are much more common in people aged 80 and older. For this age group, about one in 30 infected people requires hospitalization. Among those aged 60 to 79, the frequency of hospitalizations and deaths is lower, except for people living with a chronic illness.
A booster dose in spring 2024 could prevent “an appreciable number” of serious cases of COVID-19 among the most vulnerable, indicates the INSPQ.
The institute, however, qualifies that the precise contribution of such a vaccination remains difficult to assess “given the few effectiveness studies specific to the monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine and the possibility that variants increasingly distant from the strain vaccine will circulate during the year 2024.
Based on this information, the Quebec Immunization Committee (CIQ) recommends a dose of monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine in the spring to seniors aged 80 and over as well as to people who are immunocompromised or on dialysis.
Residents of long-term care centers (CHSLD) and residences for seniors (RPA) are also covered by this recommendation.
According to INSPQ data, as of March 19, 661 people currently hospitalized have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, which includes old cases and new ones.
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