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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.