submitted by Katie Lamb
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit
Fall Booster (bivalent vaccine) is available for those ages 18 and over and for persons 12-17 who are immunocompromised. Moderna bivalent is available at all Health Unit clinics.
Pfizer bivalent has been approved by Health Canada for ages 12+ and will be arriving at our clinics in the coming weeks pending provincial announcement and vaccine arrival.
The addition of Omicron protection in the bivalent vaccine provides a more robust protection against Omicron 1, 4 and 5, as well as the original strain versus the original mRNA vaccines.
Eligible Ontarians need to have completed their primary series (two doses, or three if immunocompromised) to receive it. Eligibility and booking for booster doses are no longer based on the number of doses you have received, but on the interval since your last dose.
The recommended interval is 6 months from your last booster dose/primary series. Three months is the minimum interval but 6 months is best. Vulnerable individuals, such as individuals aged 65 and over, and moderately-to-severely immunocompromised individuals aged 12 and over are strongly recommended to receive their bivalent booster as soon as they can (i.e., at 84 days since previous dose), upon discussion with their health care provider
If you have had a COVID infection it is recommended you wait three months (84 days) before receiving a booster dose; however, a six-month (168 days) interval may provide better immune response.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest any meaningful difference in protection between the BA.1 and BA.4/BA.5 bivalent vaccines
The best dose is the one available to you now. We encourage you to get the vaccine when you are eligible and can get an appointment.
For infants and children who have had a recent COVID-19 infection, it is recommended to wait between one month and 90 days after the start of COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test before continuing the primary series. Parents and caregivers should discuss the best timing for vaccination after a recent COVID-19 infection with their health care provider.
Individuals aged five and over may receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as, or at any time before or after non-COVID-19 vaccines, including the influenza vaccine. Anyone under five should wait 14 days between their COVID vaccines and other vaccines.
Two vaccine brands are available for the six-month to four years old age group: Infant Pfizer (three-dose series) or Pediatric Moderna (two-dose series). These vaccine brands are not interchangeable for this age group and mixing products for your infant or child’s primary series doses is not recommended. Your child should receive the same product for all their primary series doses, whether it is Pfizer or Moderna.
For Infant Pfizer, there are three doses with a recommended interval of 8 weeks between doses 1, 2 and 3. For Pediatric Moderna, two doses for this age group with a recommended interval of 8 weeks between doses 1 and 2 for optimal protection.
It’s important that children get vaccinated as soon as possible because the benefits of getting vaccinated and being protected against COVID-19 far outweigh the risks of any side effects from the vaccine. COVID-19 infection may cause longer-lasting symptoms and health problems for some children. Infants must be at least six months or older at the time of their appointment in order to receive the paediatric COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccination Booking Reminders
A list of upcoming clinics is available on our website. Clinic dates and locations are posted through to December.
Walk-in appointments will be accepted at Health Unit clinics dependent on capacity for persons five years and over, including fall boosters (bivalent vaccine) for those 18+, and immunocompromised individuals 12-17
Also continue to check with a participating pharmacy or your health care provider.
Vaccine appointments for six months to five years of age MUST be made by calling the Vaccine Call Centre at 1-844-369-1234 Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:00pm (NOT through the online booking system or the Provincial system).
For questions about vaccinating your child, we encourage residents to speak with their health care provider or contact the COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service at sickkids.ca/vaccineconsult or 1-888-304-6558 to book a confidential phone appointment with a SickKids’ Registered Nurse.
For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit the COVID-19 Protection and Vaccines section of our website.
613-345-5685 x 2285 / [email protected]
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