TORONTO - The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is expected to release guidance on fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine in early April as public health indicators tick up across Canada.
A spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency of Canada said Thursday that the agency expects to publish NACI's advice on fourth doses for "elderly populations at higher risk of severe disease" in the coming days.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott, meanwhile, told legislators Thursday that she expects to receive advice from NACI imminently.
"We’re working on the booster shots and we’re also examining whether a fourth shot is necessary, an extra booster. We’re waiting for NACI’s advice ... about what age group should be receiving the fourth vaccination, if necessary," she said.
"We are actively moving on this and we’re continuing with our plan across the province of Ontario."
NACI previously recommended that people who are "moderately to severely immunocompromised" receive a fourth dose of the vaccine six months after getting their third shot.
The committee says that data on the fourth dose is currently limited, but those who are immunocompromised are at a higher risk both of severe outcomes of COVID-19 and of decreasing protection over time.
Earlier this week, U.S. regulators approved a fourth dose for Americans 50 and older if it's been at least four months since their last vaccination.
The Food and Drug Administration gave the measure the green light on Tuesday, and the Centers for Disease Control later recommended the extra shot as an option but stopped short of urging that those eligible rush to make an appointment.
The question of extra boosters has become more pressing to some due to concerning public health indicators.
Hospitalizations have started rising in some regions and wastewater trends suggest cases are too, after many provinces ditched their vaccine passports and mask mandates this month.
Ontario reported 807 patients in hospital with COVID-19 on Thursday, compared to 661 a week earlier.
Quebec – which started offering fourth doses to seniors over 80, immunocompromised people and residents of long-term care homes this week – saw 1,238 people hospitalized with the virus Thursday.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said outlying regions in Quebec that were spared when the highly contagious Omicron variant tore through the country are now being hit hard by what he characterized as the pandemic's sixth wave.
Montreal, for instance, has about 208 cases per 100,000 people. In contrast, Côte-Nord has 750 cases per 100,000 people.
Nonetheless, Dubé said the province doesn't plan to delay lifting its mask mandate – a move currently set for mid-April – or reintroduce other public health measures.
"There is no reason at the moment … to change the strategy we have, because people have to learn to live with the virus, to continue to protect themselves," he said.
