Posted by:
Nightingale
(
)
Date: September 29, 2021 01:26AM
Article: “Advisory body recommends 3rd COVID-19 vaccine for some immunocompromised Canadians”
CBC News, Sept 10/21
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/third-covid-vaccine-dose-guidance-1.6171144Interesting points from the article:
1. Canada is referring to it as a “third dose”, not a “booster” – explained below.
2. It is recommended at this time only for people who are immunocompromised (relevant conditions listed below).
Excerpts:
“Canada's national advisory body on vaccines now recommends giving third doses of COVID-19 vaccines to certain immunocompromised individuals, but still hasn't reached a decision on whether to provide additional shots to the broader population.
“…the new recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) stipulate that moderately to severely immunocompromised Canadians should be vaccinated with a primary series of three doses of an authorized mRNA-based vaccine, which includes those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
“For those who've already had a two-dose series, NACI recommends providing a third dose, ideally of an mRNA vaccine — but the committee stressed this should not be considered a "booster."
“Dr. Shelley Deeks, NACI's chair, explained in a statement that the goal is providing an extra shot to people who "may have somewhat lower responses to their first vaccinations."
"This is not unusual for immunocompromised groups, where we often recommend different vaccine schedules to help them achieve better protection," she continued. "This is different from a booster dose, which would be used to boost an immune response that has waned over time."
“…some residents are already set to get third doses. Ontario and Alberta are offering additional shots for certain vulnerable populations including some transplant recipients, cancer patients, immunocompromised individuals and residents of various care homes — while Saskatchewan and Quebec are offering extra rounds of mRNA shots to people who want to travel to countries that may not recognize mixed-vaccination status.”
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In the first round of vaccinations, Greyfort, we weren't offered a choice of vaccines here in B.C. It may be different for boosters, although it may be that we can't just get one of any kind on demand, depending perhaps on supply but also on what the recommendations are. If they're not recommended for the general population I'm comfortable not getting one but also in that case they may just not be available except for the named groups (immunocompromised for the variety of reasons listed in the article).