Government messaging about the state of the COVID-19 pandemic may stymie uptake of fourth vaccine doses, some experts said, as provinces laid out plans to expand eligibility for the shots to millions more Canadians.
NACI strongly recommended a second booster for people between 70 and 79 years of age, and said they may also be offered to people from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is expected to release guidance on fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine in early April as public health indicators tick up across Canada.
Known as Covifenz, the vaccine was developed by Medicago, a biotechnology company based in Quebec City that uses a plant host to make virus−like particles which help the body’s immune system make antibodies.
Federal COVID-19 vaccine contracts mean Canada should get enough doses to give two or three more mRNA shots to every Canadian, every year until at least 2024.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is set to release new guidance this morning on the use of COVID-19 vaccine boosters as public health faces down the threat of the Omicron variant.
Health Canada has approved a booster of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 18, though third doses have already been given to high-risk people across the country.
The first COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 12 could be in front of Health Canada's review team in just days, and Pfizer expects to start shipping a new pediatric formulation of its vaccine shortly after it gets the green light.
