High-risk Canadians Offered COVID-19 Boosters for Spring 2023

Canada's national vaccination advisory body recently announced high-risk individuals could get another COVID-19 booster shot starting this spring.

The new recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on March 3, 2023, outline that an additional vaccine dose may be offered at a standard interval, six or more months from the last COVID-19 vaccine dose or SARS-CoV-2 infection, whichever is longer,

This recommendation is for people at a higher risk of severe illness, including immunocompromised adults and seniors.

NACI wrote that bivalent, omicron-containing, mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are the "preferred" option for booster shots.

At this time, the NACI isn't recommending an additional spring booster for people in the general population who've already received all their previous recommended doses,

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam wrote in a statement ...."Anyone who has not yet received a primary series or recommended fall 2022 booster can get it now to reduce their risk of severe illness from COVID-19, reported CBC.