On November 3rd, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health announced further details of the province’s rollout of the COVID-19 booster shot. Eligibility for booster doses will be expanded to additional groups of high-risk individuals starting November 6, 2021, providing them with an extra layer of protection against the Delta variant. Over the coming months, Ontario is also prepared to gradually roll out booster doses to all Ontarians aged 12 and over.
Based on the recommendation of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and in alignment with the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s (NACI) recent recommendation, the province will begin offering booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the following vulnerable populations if at least six months have passed since their last dose:
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Individuals aged 70 and over (born in 1951 or earlier);
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Health care workers and designated essential caregivers in congregate settings (including long-term care home and retirement home staff and designated caregivers);
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Individuals who received a complete series of a viral vector vaccine (two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one dose of the Janssen vaccine); and
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First Nation, Inuit and Métis adults and their non-Indigenous household members.
Booster doses are being offered to these groups based on evidence of gradual waning immunity six months after receiving their second dose and a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Starting on Saturday, November 6 at 8:00 a.m., eligible individuals will be able to book their booster dose appointment through the COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, directly through public health units that use their own booking systems, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, select pharmacies, and primary care settings. Hospital-based health care workers are encouraged to reach out to their hospital employer to get vaccinated directly through their hospital’s vaccination program.
The further expansion of eligibility for booster doses will be based on age and risk, with an interval of six to eight months from the second dose.