Ontario will soon offer fourth COVID-19 vaccine doses to those 60 and above
Ontario plans to soon start offering fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccines to residents aged 60 and older, the province's health minister said on Tuesday.
Christine Elliott said the province will announce a plan on Wednesday for expanding eligibility for second booster shots.
"Our medical advisers have recommended ... that we go to 60 to provide an added level of protection to the residents of Ontario," she said at the provincial legislature.
"We will have further details about the particulars available tomorrow, but 60 is going to be at the age at which people can receive (fourth shots)."
Fourth doses in Ontario are already available to long-term care and retirement home residents as well as those who are immunocompromised.
- Sign up here for Toronto breaking news alerts straight to your phone or e-mail
Ontario's plan to open fourth-dose access to people aged 60 and older follows new advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. On Tuesday, the committee said provinces and territories should start preparing plans to roll out fourth shots in the coming weeks, prioritizing those 80 and older and residents in long-term care.
The developments on Ontario's vaccination plans came as COVID-19 hospitalizations have been rising in the province -- 1,091 people were in hospital with the virus Tuesday, nearly 40 per cent higher than a week ago.
Ontario ended mask mandates in most public spaces two weeks ago, with the exception of public transit and health-care settings such as hospitals and long-term care homes.
Premier Doug Ford on Monday called the rise in cases "a little spike" that the province anticipated, and Elliott repeated that messaging on Tuesday.
"It's not unanticipated that this would happen. This is something that when you're opening up the province to the degree that we have, and with the transmissibility of this virus, that we expected to see the numbers increase," Elliott said.
Like Ford, she pointed to the addition of 3,100 new hospital beds, the province's highly vaccinated population and access to antiviral drugs that she said would help the province fight off the latest wave of cases.
"We have the measures that we need to deal with this," she said.
Earlier Tuesday, Elliott also said the province planned to make it easier to access an antiviral COVID-19 drug.
Immunocompromised adults and older COVID-19 patients who are unvaccinated are eligible to receive Paxlovid in Ontario. But concerns have been raised about difficulty accessing the drug, which is only effective if treatment starts within five days of symptom onset.
Elliott said Paxlovid was initially distributed through 26 sites, and now that supply has increased, the province intends to bring more sites into the rollout such as pharmacies and other locations.
She said the province is also planning to expand its education program about the drug so individuals may learn that they are eligible.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
Advocacy groups speak out against domestic violence comments by Nova Scotia minister
Several Nova Scotia groups that assist women are speaking out against comments on domestic violence by Justice Minister Brad Johns, and at least one is calling for his dismissal.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.
A couple lost their wedding rings during the ceremony. Two strangers found a fitting solution
Every good wedding has to have one teensy, tiny crisis.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.