COVID-19 booster shots now recommended for all Islanders 18 and over
CBC
Many Prince Edward Islanders will soon be rolling up their sleeves for a booster shot to protect against COVID-19 — as long as at least six months has elapsed since their second dose of vaccine.
P.E.I. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison announced Friday that the boosters are now recommended and will be available for all Islanders 18 and older, following advice earlier in the day from Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI.
"Booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines can increase the immune response and offer more protection against infection," Morrison said.
The goal of the boosters is to minimize serious illness and death, preserve health-care capacity and reduce transmission to protect high-risk populations, she said in a written release Friday.
Islanders should plan to get a booster at least six months after their second dose, by making an appointment at a Health P.E.I. clinic or one of 28 partner pharmacies across the Island.
P.E.I.'s CPHO strongly recommends booster shots for three particular groups most at risk of severe complications from COVID-19:
After the news release was distributed, the province confirmed in an email to CBC News that for the last category of Islanders on this list, the booster will be their fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
In the same news release Friday, Morrison also announced one new case of COVID-19 in P.E.I.
The person in their 70s is a close contact of a previously announced case. Contact tracing is complete, and the individual is self-isolating.
There are currently 19 active cases of COVID-19 in P.E.I. and a total of 382 cases since the pandemic began.
As city council prepares to vote on a temporary shelter village for people experiencing homelessness in Thunder Bay, Ont., opposition is growing among the area's business community.
A Toronto centre for Black art is hosting an exhibition this weekend that exclusively features work by artists from across the African diaspora.
Click on the video player above on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET to watch the 2024 Vanier Cup.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
Some Canadian seniors say they're feeling abandoned by the Liberal government's latest inflation relief measure after learning they don't qualify for it.
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
The weather has certainly been gloomy, damp and windy over the past 10 days in Nova Scotia and it's going to continue this weekend.
Premier Susan Holt says the federal tax holiday on some goods announced Thursday could cost New Brunswick $62 million in revenue.
Thousands in Quebec's Montérégie region will not get their flu and COVID-19 vaccine directly at their seniors' residence anymore.
A 17-year-old boy is dead after he was shot by an RCMP officer in Norway House Cree Nation on Friday.
Saskatchewan road crews and residents alike are getting ready for another icy blast of winter this weekend.