Sask. will expand booster shot eligibility soon: CMHO
Saskatchewan could soon be expanding booster shot eligibility – as more people reach the six-month mark after their second dose.
The province’s chief medical health officer said eligibility could open up for more people in the coming days and weeks.
“Uptake for boosters has been fair but I would strongly encourage people as they become eligible to step forward and get their booster shot so that keeps it smooth for further age groups as they become eligible,” Dr. Saqib Shahab said.
Currently – health care workers – those who are immunocompromised – and people aged 65 and older can get their booster shot.
People 50 and older in the Far North and living on First Nations are also eligible.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends booster shots for everyone aged 70 and older.
However, both Pfizer and Moderna booster shots have been approved for people ages 18 and older.
“We were basing our booster recommendations on both NACI recommendations but even before that we were basing it on our own epidemiology,” Shahab said, adding that booster dose eligibility will likely expand similar to when vaccines were first rolled out.
Laveena Tratch, the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s vaccine lead for the Regina area, says evidence shows immunity starts to wane six months after receiving the dose of COVID-19 vaccine, which means a little less protection from the virus and its variants.
Tratch says booster shots are one of the best lines of defense against COVID-19.
“The importance of getting that booster dose is to really boost your immune system so it has that really high level of protection against those variants,” she said.
As of Tuesday, 93,243 “extra doses” have been administered across the province. That number is a combination of booster shots as well as third and fourth doses.
Tratch says vaccine fatigue is a risk as more people become eligible for additional doses. However, she says she has yet to see signs of it.
“This will become something within our community that people will start to accept as part of our need to stay healthy,” Tratch said.
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.