Ontario NDP call for plan on expanded fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots
Ontario's opposition parties are calling on the provincial government to share its plan for expanded fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Interim New Democrat Leader Peter Tabuns said Monday that details on the plan are needed now that a federal immunization panel is recommending the shots and Quebec has moved ahead with fourth doses for all adults.
"No one in Ontario wants to live through another rash of COVID-19 cases. No one wants our loved ones at risk of getting sick," Tabuns said in a written statement.
"It's time for (Premier) Doug Ford to tell Ontarians what the plan is for expanding access to fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine."
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Fourth shots are currently available in Ontario for people aged 60 and older, Indigenous adults and long-term care and retirement home residents, if three months have passed since receiving a third shot. Immunocompromised people are also eligible for additional shots.
The New Democrats want easy and equitable access to fourth shots for the broader population, including through community clinics and doctors' offices, Tabuns said.
The provincial Liberals have made a similar push for details on the government's broader fourth-dose plan.
Liberal John Fraser, who represents Ottawa South, wrote to the province's chief medical officer of health last week asking Dr. Kieran Moore to "provide the rationale for Ontario's criteria (and) restrictions for fourth doses" so that he could share it with constituents.
Fraser wrote that he's received calls, letters and emails about the current eligibility rules around fourth doses, noting that fourth shots are available a few kilometres from his riding if people travel to Quebec.
He also pointed to recent expert analysis on the rapid spread of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant that Ontario's pandemic advisory group says likely already makes up half of the province's COVID-19 cases.
"There are people who are anxious and concerned, they'd like to get a fourth dose," he said.
Last week the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended booster shots this fall in advance of a possible wave of COVID-19 infections.
Canada's chief public health officer also urged people to catch up on their vaccinations with more transmissible Omicron variants circulating.
Moore told The Canadian Press last month that Ontario was looking at planning a fall round of booster doses for people most vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, and potentially another booster dose for the general public -- generally in line with NACI's most recent recommendations to provinces.
Moore also said he anticipates a new generation of vaccine that targets newer strains of COVID may be available by the fall.
But Fraser noted that there's concern over a summer wave of infections that may be currently unfolding with BA.5, and limited information about the disease in Ontario since the province has limited PCR testing for the virus.
"I don't think it's just this fall, I think it's right now. So if they're restricting people under 60 from having a fourth dose, they need to explain why," he said.
Ford said last week that the government has been discussing its fourth dose plan with Moore and promised that details on the rollout would come "in the next little while."
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said Monday that the government is reviewing NACI's recent guidance and would detail its plan for fall booster "over the coming weeks"
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
DEVELOPING Israel says Hamas deal is 'far' from meeting its demands as Rafah offensive looms
Israel said the terms of a ceasefire deal Hamas accepted on Monday remained 'far from' meeting its demands and warned its military operations in Rafah would continue, even as it sent negotiators to talk to mediators.
2024 Met Gala: Everything to know about fashion's annual soiree
Fashion's biggest night out — hosted at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York each year on the first Monday of May — is both a forever-evolving spectacle and a carefully crafted event.
Concern over speeding in Fredericton neighbourhood grows after 2 teens, young adult killed in crash
Three people – including two teens – are dead, and two others are injured after a crash that has left a greater Fredericton community shaken.