by allison jones
toronto — ontario plans to eventually offer booster doses of covid-19 vaccines to all residents, with the next priority group able to book appointments starting saturday.
there are 2.75 million people who will become eligible for boosters starting nov. 6 — those aged 70 and older, health-care workers and essential caregivers in congregate settings, people who received two doses of the astrazeneca vaccine or one dose of janssen, and first nations, inuit and metis adults and their non-indigenous household members.
eligibility will expand to other groups based on age and risk, with an interval of six to eight months from someone’s second dose.
officials say the broader rollout will happen based on the date of second doses, and they are eyeing early 2022 for the expansion.
government health officials say the booster dose strategy is based on early evidence of waning immunity over time.
the province plans to focus on booster doses for now, but when the vaccine for kids aged five to 11 is approved – ontario officials expect that to come this month – the priority will shift to “the rapid provision of first doses for children.”
all regions in the province are putting plans in place for the rollout of the vaccine for children, and provincial government officials say every public health unit will offer school-based clinics. other sites are expected to include mass immunization clinics, pharmacies, primary care doctors, mobile teams and children’s hospitals.