Ontario To Release Plan For When You Can Get A Third Dose Of A COVID-19 Vaccine Next Week

Ontario already has a plan in the works for when COVID-19 vaccine booster doses become available in the province.

"Next week we intend to release our plan that will provide information to all Ontarians on when they can expect to receive a third dose of the [COVID-19] vaccine," Minister of Health Christine Elliott tweeted on October 29.

When that plan will be released has not yet been disclosed by the Ontario government. Narcity reached out to the Ministry of Health for comment but did not immediately hear back before the time of publication.

Earlier today, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released its recommendations for when Canadians can get access to third doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

NACI advised that those who are at the highest risk of "waning protection" and have the highest chance of getting severe COVID-19 illness should get their booster doses of an mRNA vaccine (which is either Pfizer or Moderna) at least six months after their first COVID-19 vaccine series. This includes anyone who is 80 and older or lives in a long-term care home.

There are other groups who may be eligible to get their third doses since they're at an increased risk of getting a severe illness, are at lower protection since their last vaccine, or are essential for maintaining the health care systems. According to NACI, these include:

• Individuals between 70 to 79 years of age
• People who've received both doses of AstraZeneca or one dose of the Janssen vax
• Adults in or from First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, and frontline health care workers who have direct contact with patients or got their vaccines within a "very short interval."

In September, the Ontario government expanded its list of people who could get third doses of COVID-19 vaccines, which included those who were at a high risk of contracting the Delta variant.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.