Fourth doses in Ontario: When should you get one?
Ontario medical experts are continuing to encourage people to get COVID-19 booster shots, but the timing can differ for people who have been previously infected with the virus.
The province has been offering fourth doses – or second boosters – since December 2021. Ontarians who are 60 and older, along with people who are immunocompromised, are currently eligible for a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
“In all our vaccines, they usually come in three or fours,” Dr. Dawn Bowdish, Canada Research Chair in Aging and Immunity and a professor at McMaster University, told CTV News Toronto Monday.
“When you had kids and you were taking them to the doctor all the time, three to four doses is what it really takes to cement immune memory – this is not that unusual,” she said.
Bowdish said it’s important to keep up to date with vaccines.
THREE MONTHS AFTER INFECTION: DOCTORS
Bowdish recommends people recently previously infected with COVID-19 to wait three months after their infection for their next shot, as antibodies continue circulating in the body.
But those who’ve avoided illness should get it as soon as possible, as Ontario is still in the middle of an Omicron wave, she said.
When four months have passed since the last shot — an infection is more likely.
“Older people and people who are immunocompromised lose that protection a little faster so those are the people we want first in line to get those doses,” Bowdish said.
Getting the booster now she said will not only protect against an infection now, but added by having a less symptomatic infection that’s shorter will also prevent long COVID or other issues that could develop from an illness.
KIDS AND BOOSTERS
The Ontario government is not currently recommending that children from the ages of five to 11 receive a booster dose.
Right now, the province is recommending that children aged 12 and older receive their booster dose six months after their previous dose and that youth aged 18 and older should receive booster doses three months after their last.
It’s suggested that little ones who have been previously infected with COVID-19 apply the same three-month wait period [post-infection] to get their booster, Dr. Dina Kulik, a pediatrician and founder of Kidcrew, told CTV News Toronto. Otherwise, she recommends sticking to the schedule.
“We want children to get their boosters, adults as well if they haven’t received their boosters,” she said.
Eligible individuals can book an appointment for a fourth dose through the provincial vaccination portal, by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900, directly through public health units that use their own booking systems, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinic and at participating pharmacies.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Horrifying' conspiracy theories swirl around Texas shooting
By now it's as predictable as the calls for thoughts and prayers: A mass shooting leaves many dead, and wild conspiracy theories and misinformation about the carnage soon follow. Within hours of Tuesday's school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, another rash began as internet users spread baseless claims about the man named as the gunman and his possible motives.

Canada commits $1M to probe sexual violence by Russian troops in Ukraine
Canada is committing an extra $1 million to help the international community investigate sex crimes by Russian troops in Ukraine. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada would give the extra funds to the International Criminal Court to help it investigate sexual violence toward women, and also crimes against children.
Four notable moments from the French Conservative leadership debate
Conservative Party of Canada leadership hopefuls Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis, and Pierre Poilievre squared off in the second official party debate on Wednesday night in Laval, Que.
Canada's 2022 summer weather forecast predicts huge differences from coast-to-coast
Several parts of the country, including British Columbia and Canada's Maritime provinces, are likely to see wetter-than-normal conditions this summer, according to AccuWeather's annual summer forecast.
Texas school shooting: What we know so far about the victims
Families are sharing photos and stories of their loved ones, who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two adults on Tuesday afternoon.
Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school
Frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman's rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, witnesses said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a U.S. Border Patrol team.
Canadian meets her long-lost sister for the first time on U.S. morning show
During an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America on Wednesday, adopted siblings Hannah Raleigh of Chicago and Limia Ravart of Montreal met in person for the first time after an ancestry test confirmed the two are in fact related.
Cheese not on the table in Canada-U.K. trade talks as Britain seeks market access
Britain wants greater access to Canadian markets for more than 700 varieties of cheese including Stilton, Cheshire, and Wensleydale, a crumbly variety originating from Yorkshire. But Ottawa has made it clear it does not want to see more British cheddar, let alone artisan varieties such as stinking bishop, renegade monk and Hereford hop, on Canadian fridge shelves.
Monkeypox in Canada: PHAC now confirms 16 cases nationwide
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has now confirmed a total of 16 cases of monkeypox in the country, all in Quebec.