Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is recommending COVID-19 booster shots for all adults 80 years of age and older, and is also opening the door for certain other groups who may be at increased risk of lowered protection over time since their initial vaccinations.
“Populations at highest risk of waning protection following their primary series and at highest risk of severe COVID-19 illness should be offered a booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after completing their primary series,” NACI’s new guidance released Friday said, noting that seniors 80 years and older “should” be offered a booster shot.
NACI also said that people between the ages of 70 and 79 “may” be offered a booster shot, along with other groups “who may be at increased risk of lower protection over time since vaccination, increased risk of severe illness or who are essential for maintaining health system capacity.”
Those groups include:
- People who received two doses of the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine or one dose of the Janssen vaccine.
- Adults in or from First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
- Adults who are front-line health-care workers who have direct in-person contact with patients and who were vaccinated with a very short interval between their first and second doses (three or four weeks).
NACI has already recommended third doses for people living in long-term care homes and people with specific immunocompromising conditions.
More to come
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