Dear members,
It has been a busy week and we’d like to share some information on the recent vaccine announcements and on Monkeypox.
On Tuesday, the government announced that it would be expanding eligibility for the 4th shot (2nd booster) of the COVID-19 vaccine to everyone aged 18 to 59. These are being offered at an interval of five months after a person receives their first booster dose. In addition, a new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is anticipated to be approved by Health Canada this fall, which may offer more targeted protection against the Omicron variants.
We know you’ll get questions about this recent announcement. The CEP and OCFP will be updating their guidance on vaccinations as NACI publishes additional guidance, and we will share this with you as soon as we have it.
Yesterday, the Moderna vaccine was approved for children between six months and five years of age. The dose will be one-quarter of what is administered to adults. NACI has issued these recommendations to advise on its use.
Additional resources available are this 'Timing of COVID-19 Vaccines for young children FAQ' and ‘What are the reasons to vaccinate my young child against COVID-19?’ from Pharmacy5in5 and the School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo.
We have also received a fact sheet and Q&A on Monkeypox from the Ministry of Health:
- Monkeypox Fact Sheet (EN) (FR)
- Monkeypox – Healthcare Provider Q&A
- Testing and Management of Monkeypox: Information for Primary Care Providers (EN) (FR)
We will keep you apprised as we learn more.
Once again thank you for all you are doing to keep your patients and community safe. If you need any assistance or have questions, please contact us any time.
Yours in good health,
The AFHTO Team