Plan for third doses for 'all Ontarians' expected next week

The Ontario government is set to announce next week when everyone in the province will have access to their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said Friday in a tweet the plan will "provide information to all Ontarians" about when they can expect to receive their third shot.

Elliott made the announcement after the National Advisory Committee on Immunization expanded eligibility guidelines for booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada. 

In August, the Ontario government began offering third doses to select vulnerable communities. Last month, they expanded that criteria. 

An interval of at least two months or eight weeks between the second and third dose is recommended for those eligible.

The ministry says that the minimum interval should be 28 days, but says that “an interval longer than the minimum 28 days between doses is likely to result in a better immune response.”

Click here for a full list of who is eligible for their third dose.

The Ontario government says two doses are still considered a full course of immunization.

In Ontario, 22,476,654 vaccine doses have been administered to date. Nearly 88.1 per cent of Ontarians 12 and above have one dose and 84.3 per cent have two doses.

With files from CTV News Toronto's Abby Neufeld.