(AGENPARL) – ven 14 ottobre 2022 City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
==========================================
News Release
October 14, 2022
Toronto Public Health ready to administer new bivalent COVID-19 booster to ages 12 plus
This is the second bivalent booster approved for use in Canada, following the release of the Moderna Spikevax® Bivalent (50mcg) COVID-19 vaccine on September 1.
Appointments to receive a bivalent booster can be booked now through the Provincial booking system for individuals age 12 years and older for the week of October 17. More information is available on the Province’s How to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment webpage: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/.
According to guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI):
• Adults age 65 years and older and individuals 12 years of age and older who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes should receive a fall booster dose, regardless of the number of booster doses previously received.
• All other individuals 12 to 64 years of age may be offered a booster dose too, regardless of the number of booster doses previously received.
• NACI recommends that individuals 12 years of age and older who are receiving a fall booster dose should get an Omicron-targeting vaccine.
Both bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters will produce a strong immune response and are expected to provide improved protection against Omicron and its subvariants, which are currently circulating in Canada. The original mRNA COVID-19 vaccines continue to provide good protection against severe COVID-19 outcomes, including severe illness and death. More information is available on the City of Toronto’s COVID-19: About the Vaccines webpage: http://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-about-the-vaccines/?accordion=mrna-vaccines.
Due to widespread circulation of the Omicron variant, many Torontonians age 12 years and older may have been previously infected with COVID-19. NACI continues to recommend that COVID-19 booster doses may be offered at an interval of six months after a previous COVID-19 vaccine dose or SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of the product offered. However, a shorter interval of at least three months may be warranted in the context of heightened epidemiologic risk, as well as operational considerations for the efficient deployment of the vaccine program. NACI’s updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccine booster doses in Canada is available on the Government of Canada’s website: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/guidance-covid-19-vaccine-booster-doses.pdf.
Residents will be able to get vaccinated by Team Toronto partners, including City-run immunization clinics, primary care offices and more than 525 pharmacies. A full list of clinic locations and hours is available on the City’s COVID-19: Where to Get Vaccinated webpage: http://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-how-to-get-vaccinated/.
Pharmacies providing a COVID-19 vaccine can be found by using the provincial webpage: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations.
Looking ahead to the fall and winter months, all residents are encouraged to get their next dose of vaccine when they are eligible. As with vaccinations for other diseases, people are protected best when their COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. COVID-19 vaccinations have been scientifically proven to lower the risk of illness, hospitalization and death, while protecting people, their loved ones and the community.