Senior advisors to the Department of Health have suggested that Canadians should be recommended a booster Covid shot every three months.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) officials said that quarterly boosters “may be warranted” to combat Covid-19.
“A shorter interval of at least three months may be warranted in the context of heightened epidemiological risk as well as operational considerations for the efficient deployment of the Covid-19 vaccination program,” wrote a Sept. 1 Summary Of National Advisory Committee On Immunization Statement.
“Informed consent should include discussion regarding what is known and unknown about the benefits and risks of providing a booster shot.”
The latest advice posits a shorter timeline than the advice given by public health officials as recently as the end of June.
Liberal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said on June 30 that a vaccination “in the last nine months” meant being up to date with your Covid-19 boosters.
“‘Fully vaccinated’ makes no sense now. It’s about ‘up to date.’ So am I up to date in my vaccination? Have I received a vaccination in the last nine months?” said Duclos.
“‘Up to date’ means you have received your last dose in the past nine months. If you’ve already received a first booster that’s great. Please see if you’re eligible for a second or third booster to remain up to date.”
During Thursday’s press conference announcing Health Canada’s approval of the bivalent Moderna Covid-19 booster meant to tackle the BA.1 Omicron subvariant, Duclos compared vaccination to recharging “your phone battery.”
“Vaccine protection is like a phone battery. It needs to be recharged from time to time. Recharging our protection after six months is important, otherwise, we are left without the power to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” said Duclos.
“When protection wanes, action is required just like a phone battery. Your phone battery needs to be recharged for your phone to work, to have appropriate power to operate and for your vaccination protection to be affected, so you recharge your phone battery by plugging it into the electricity.”
Currently, booster uptake has been lower than the primary series of the Covid-19 vaccine. Only 49.55% of Canadians have received a Covid booster in addition to their primary doses.
