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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.