Quebec recommends booster only to vulnerable never infected with COVID-19
Quebec is changing its vaccine strategy: public health officials are now recommending booster shots only for vulnerable people who have never had COVID-19.
Quebec public health director Dr. Luc Boileau made the announcement at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
"There is no need to get vaccinated if we have had the experience of COVID-19 infection and that we have been vaccinated so far, at least two doses," he said.
Public health is recommending only vulnerable individuals who have never had COVID-19 receive a booster shot, six months after their last dose. Healthy individuals do not need another dose this winter or spring, he said.
Immunocompromised or dialysis patients, whether or not they have contracted COVID-19, should get a booster.
Vulnerable people who should get a booster include those who are:
- living in long-term care or group homes
- aged 60 and over
- immunocompromised or living with a chronic disease
- health-care workers
- pregnant
- living in remote or isolated areas
Anyone who wants a booster in the coming months can still book an appointment, public health officials said.
HYBRID IMMUNITY OFFERS BETTER PROTECTION
The new recommendation has to do with hybrid immunity, explained Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, a pediatrician and microbiologist-infectious disease expert at CHU Sainte-Justine. She is also the president of the Quebec immunization committee (CIQ), which has a mandate to advise the Health Ministry on vaccination strategies in Quebec.
"What that does is it gives you a protection that is more solid over time," she explained.
The data suggest about three-quarters of Quebecers under age 60 and half of Quebecers over 60 have been infected with COVID-19 at this point.
"What we are seeing in the surveillance data and the effectiveness data is that people who have been infected even though they were infected prior to the Omicron wave, so that's over a year ago, we still have good protection against hospitalization and mortality," she said.
Quach-Thanh said hybrid immunity provides much better protection against infection compared to vaccination alone for infection alone, adding that no one should purposely infect themselves.
IF YOU'RE SICK, STAY HOME
Anyone who is sick with COVID-19 or any respiratory illness should continue to follow public health guidelines and avoid exposing others, said Boileau.
"If you have an infection, just consider that you are contagious. If you are sick enough to stay at home, stay at home. If you wish to go out for essential matters, then you can go, but wear a mask. Be careful to not be in contact with [people] that are at risk to be more sick than you," he said, adding that this guideline "will not change."
According to the Ministry of Health's daily update released Thursday, there have been five additional deaths related to COVID-19, but all occurred more than a week ago. In hospitals, 1,439 patients have the coronavirus, including 452 who were hospitalized specifically because of the disease. Of these, 25 people are being treated in an intensive care unit.
In addition, 2,230 health-care workers are off the job due to precautionary withdrawals, isolation or pending test results.
- With files from The Canadian Press
Correction
A previous version of this article said anyone who has not had COVID-19 is recommended to receive a booster shot. The article has been updated to reflect the Quebec government's recommendation that people who are both immunosuppressed and have not contracted the virus get the booster.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.