Ontario to begin offering second doses of COVID-19 vaccines

Adhera Therapeutics

28/05/2021 15:13

TORONTO, May 28 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Ontario
will begin offering second doses of COVID-19 vaccines to people
80 and up next week, and everyone in the province should be
eligible by early August, according to a new plan released on
Friday.
    In early spring, facing limited vaccine supply and a surge
of infections, Canada opted to delay second vaccine doses by up
to 16 weeks for most people, so more could be partially
protected. But with millions of doses delivered and expected
soon, most will now not have to wait that long.
    The decision by Ontario, Canada's most populous province,
came a day after British Columbia said most people will receive
doses eight weeks apart.
    In briefing materials released on Monday, Ontario said
residents who are 80 or older will be eligible to book a second
dose of the Pfizer  PFE.N  or Moderna  MRNA.O  vaccines the week
of May 31, and people 70 to 79 will become eligible the week of
June 14. 
    After that, prioritization will be based on when people
received their first dose, with everyone eligible by the week of
Aug. 9.
    Some high-risk health workers, long-term care residents and
others are already eligible for second doses in Ontario. 
    For people who wish to receive a second dose of AstraZeneca,
second doses will be offered 10 or 12 weeks after first doses. 

 (Reporting by Allison Martell
Editing by Mark Heinrich)
 ((allison.martell@thomsonreuters.com; +1 416 941 8196; Reuters
Messaging: allison.martell.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))