Some youth between 12 and 17 years old are now eligible to receive a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The new eligibility allows teens with medical conditions that put them at risk of severe illness to get a third, and in some cases, a fourth dose of vaccine. The list of the medical conditions includes cancer, kidney disease, diabetes and others.
First Nations, Inuit, and Métis youth are also eligible for a booster dose.
The full list is posted here.
The health unit "strongly recommends" all individuals who are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, particularly a booster dose, book an appointment or attend a walk-in clinic as soon as they are able.
Vaccines against COVID-19 have been shown (even with two doses) to offer protection against severe COVID outcomes such as hospitalization, ventilation, and death.
Based on data from Simcoe-Muskoka, the rate of COVID-19 hospitalization among the unvaccinated population over 11 years old is five times higher, the rate of ICU admission is 10 times higher, and the rate of death is three times higher when compared with rates among people with two or more doses of a vaccine.
New advice published by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (available here) recommends anyone aged 12 and older currently eligible for a booster dose who has been infected with COVID-19 after receiving two doses of a vaccine should wait 84 days before receiving a booster.
"A longer interval between infection and vaccination may result in a better immune response as this allows time for this response to mature in breadth and strength, and for circulating antibodies to decrease, thus avoiding immune interference when the vaccine is administered," states the recommendation from the committee.
For people five years old and up who get COVID-19 before receiving two doses of a vaccine, the advisory committee recommends waiting eight weeks after symptom onset or after a first positive test (if asymptomatic) before getting a vaccine.
For a list of vaccine clinics accepting walk-ins in Simcoe-Muskok, click here. To book a vaccine clinic, you can use the COVID-19 Vaccination Portal or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.
