Quebec to decide 'in coming days' if it will follow advice to give boosters to 50 and up
Canada's national vaccine advisory panel recommended Friday that everyone 50 and up get access to COVID-19 booster shots, but it isn't clear yet if Quebec will follow that recommendation.
On Twitter at 1:45 p.m., the province's health department said the provincial immunization committee will make the final call, and that will take a few days.
"Despite NACI's advice, for the moment in Quebec, the additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is only offered to people aged 70 and over," the ministry wrote.
"According to the opinion of the Quebec Immunization Committee, [the ministry] will adjust its vaccination offer. Details to come in the next few days."
NACI, the national advisory panel, went further in its recommendations, also saying that people ages 18 to 49 “may” be offered boosters depending on individual risks and where they live.
Some provinces have already lowered the age cutoff for third shots. Ontario announced earlier this week, before the new NACI guidelines, that it will lower the age limit to 50 in mid-December.
Alberta authorities decided to open boosters to everyone over 18, saying the province's epidemiology requires it.
Booster shots are given six months after the second shot in order to boost immunity.
In a statement to CTV News, Quebec's health ministry said they are following standard procedure by waiting for the provincial expert panel to weigh in, but will be able to act quickly if the limit is lowered.
"The teams are ready to adapt the vaccination campaign to the expansion of the booster doses, if necessary," said spokesperson Marie-Claude Lacasse.
They also wanted to remind "people who have not yet received any vaccine doses... that there is still time to get vaccinated and thus be better protected in the face of the recent upsurge in cases."
Quebec reported 1,355 new cases on Friday, the second surge in a week, as the number of total active infections topped 9,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.