Provincial COVID-19 vaccine booster dose program expanding

REGINA -

The Government of Saskatchewan announced it will be expanding the COVID-19 vaccination booster program, starting on Monday.

COVID-19 boosters will be administered to some groups of individuals, six months after they received the second vaccine dose.

The following groups will be eligible for a booster shot on Oct. 25:

• Individuals 65 years and older
• People living in the Far North zone and those living on First Nations communities 50 years and older.
• Health care workers
• Individuals born in 2009 or earlier with underlying health conditions, including respiratory conditions, rare diseases, developmental disabilities, neuromuscular conditions requiring respiratory support and those requiring dialysis or with chronic kidney disease.

The province said the Ministry of Health will provide a letter for those with underlying medical conditions, for presentation at the point of immunization.

If you initially received two doses of an mRNA vaccine, the booster should be the same vaccine type. However if you received two different vaccine types, the province said your third dose should match the mRNA vaccine.

mRNA booster immunizations are also recommended for those who received two doses of AstraZeneca.

“If you have already received a third dose for travel or in a long-term care or personal-care home setting, you do not require a fourth dose,” the Ministry of Health said in a new release. “The third dose already received provides the necessary increased protection; you do not need any further doses at this time.”

Appointment bookings for eligible group can begin immediately, with shots administered as of Oct. 25.

The province said it will be announcing additional eligible groups in the coming weeks.