Now that the Ontario government said it has the new COVID-19 bivalent vaccine booster dose available for citizens 18 years and older, the Sudbury Health Unit said it will follow the provincial directions once the vaccines are received.
Ontario's Ministry of Health announced Monday that based on guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), Ontario is offering the bivalent booster to all Ontarians (18+) beginning with the most vulnerable populations.
Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said Friday it will follow provincial direction to implement a staged rollout whereby individuals who are at a higher risk of severe illness and outcomes from COVID-19 will be offered initial access.
Subsequent access will then include everyone who is 18 years of age and older as per the authorization of the Moderna product.
The bivalent vaccine from Moderna targets two strains of the COVID-19 virus: the original strain from Wuhan, China and the dominant Omicron, BA.
Today, the ministry of health said bivalent booster appointments will be available to, and can be booked for, the following vulnerable populations:
- Individuals aged 70 and over;
- Residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges and individuals living in other congregate settings that provide assisted-living and health services;
- First Nation, Inuit and Métis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members aged 18 and over;
- Moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals aged 12 and over; pregnant individuals aged 18 and over; and
- Health-care workers aged 18 and over.
Residents in the 18 and older category will have to wait a couple of weeks, said the health ministry. It said new booster appointments for the 18+ cohort are on pause until Sept. 26.
The ministry said those not in a priority category however can still start booking their appointments today. Availability will be based on shipment schedules and supply from the federal government.
"All previously-booked booster appointments for Sept. 12 to 25 will be honoured and, if available, the bivalent vaccine will be offered," said the ministry.
In Sudbury, the health unit said it was waiting for direction from the province and was making preparations.
"In the likelihood that we receive an initial limited supply (as we saw with other vaccine products), we will follow provincial direction to implement a staged rollout whereby individuals who are at a higher risk of severe illness and outcomes from COVID-19 will be offered initial access. Subsequent access will then include everyone who is 18 years of age and older as per the authorization of the Moderna product," said PHSD
"More information will be available to the public once we receive provincial direction. In the meantime, the existing mRNA vaccine products will continue to be available in our clinics," PHSD added.
