Bivalent COVID-19 booster shot available to all adults in Ontario starting Monday
Adults in Ontario will be able to receive the bivalent booster dose, which specifically targets the Omicron variants, starting on Monday.
Since mid-September, residents aged 18 and up were able to book an appointment for the booster through the province’s COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. However, the first available appointments begin tomorrow, Sept. 26.
Eligible individuals can also book an appointment through public health units that use their own booking systems, Indigenous-led vaccination clinics or through participating health-care providers and pharmacies.
Residents can receive the bivalent booster at a recommended interval of six months from their previous dose, or at a minimum interval of three months, regardless of how many booster doses they have received.
“COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters are the best tool to keep people healthy and out of hospitals, and to ensure Ontario’s economy stays open as the weather cools and people spend more time indoors,” Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said in a statement provided in a news release on Sunday.
The bivalent vaccine was first rolled out on Sept. 12 to individuals aged 70 and up, as well as residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges and other congregate settings, among others.
Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, says the bivalent vaccine was made specifically for the BA.1 Omicron subvariant, but should provide strong protection against all subvariants, including the BA.5 which is currently the dominant strain.
“We know that even though the next variant might not even be a BA.5, we haven't needed the exact match to get good protection from the vaccines and so that's why we think that even with this BA.1 variant in the vaccine you will get some cross protection for an anticipated new variant that may be coming,” Dubey told CTV News Toronto earlier this month.
On Sept. 26, the province will also start to administer Pfizer's paediatric vaccine for children aged six months to under five years old.
The vaccine is a three-dose primary series, with a recommended interval of eight weeks between doses.
Pfizer’s paediatric vaccine is the second to be approved in Canada for children in that age group after Moderna’s vaccine was approved in July.
“Mixing products for your infant or child’s primary series doses is not recommended. Your child should receive the same product for all their primary series doses, whether it is Pfizer or Moderna,” the Ministry of Health says.
Parents and caregivers can continue booking appointments through the same methods used for the bivalent vaccine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.