Canadians are being told to get yet another Covid-19 booster this coming fall by federal public health authorities.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) issued new guidance on Covid-19 vaccination on Tuesday.
According to NACI, people are being advised to receive a booster shot of a Covid-19 vaccine in the next few months, with guidance specifying a six month period since their second vaccination or their last infection.
“Booster doses in the fall will be formulations updated to target more recent, immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants,” claimed NACI.
“Individuals vaccinated with the updated formulation are expected to benefit from a better immune response against these variants compared to current vaccines.”
The recommended mRNA vaccines are the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots.
NACI also urged everyone aged five and above who remain unvaccinated to get two doses of an approved mRNA vaccine as soon as possible.
For kids over the age of six months and below the age of five, NACI gave a “discretionary recommendation” for parents to get them a full vaccination series as well.
NACI said that getting vaccinated in the fall is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting infected or having severe outcomes from Covid-19. This includes people from Indigenous or racialized communities, according to the panel.
For those who are not willing or able to get an mRNA vaccine, NACI said that they can be offered Novavax’s Nuvaxovid instead.
