Some provinces are updating 4th-dose eligibility as Canada enters 7th wave
As a seventh wave of COVID-19 begins sweeping across Canada, with the Omicron BA.5 subvariant driving transmission, some provinces are expanding eligibility for a fourth dose of the vaccine.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released its guidance for a fall booster campaign late last month. The federal advisory body recommended that those with increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should be offered a shot in the fall, adding that anyone between the ages of 12 and 64 may also be eligible at that time
Although all provinces are offering a fourth dose to eligible groups, as of June 19, just over half of Canadians have yet to receive their third dose, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
“I would really double down on those efforts, in terms of getting fourth doses into the most vulnerable, and third doses into a lot of people who are still eligible but have not yet received them,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist and physician with the University Health Network in Toronto.
While most provinces are already offering a fourth shot (or, for the general population, a second booster, as some immunocompromised individuals receive a third shot during their primary series) to their most vulnerable residents, some — such as Quebec and P.E.I. — have expanded eligibility substantially.. ”Those who would most benefit from a fourth dose are people on the older end of the spectrum and people with underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk for severe infection,” Bogoch said, speaking specifically to the eligibility guidelines in July 2022.
“That’s what the data suggests,” he said. “So even if it’s opened up, just remember, that’s who would most benefit from a fourth dose.” Source: cbc.ca
Saturday, April 18, 2026
