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November 9, 2021 – Provincial government update on the COVID-19 pandemic
Here is an update on recent decisions and actions by the provincial government related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New guidelines for COVID-19 booster doses
Christian Dubé, Minister of Health and Social Services, Horacio Arruda, National Director of Public Health in Québec, and Daniel Paré, Director of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Québec, announced new directives with regard to the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Government of Québec has based its decision on a recommendation from the Comité sur l’immunisation du Québec (CIQ).
A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory, however.
“We are very proud that vaccine effectiveness in Québec is high and still being well maintained overall,” Mr. Dubé said. “However, since this protection tends to decrease slightly in those 80 and over, we want to ensure that we protect these people better, as well as those who had opted for two doses of viral vector vaccine, whose efficacy is slightly lower.”
Boosters for seniors
As in the past, the booster campaign will be conducted by age group. In all cases, recipients must have received their last vaccination more than six months ago to benefit from this booster dose. As before, they must make an appointment on the Clic Santé website according to the following schedule:
- People aged 80 and over: starting November 16
- People aged 75 to 79: starting November 18
- People aged 70 to 74: starting November 23
A third dose recommended for those doubly vaccinated with AstraZeneca
The CIQ recommends that people immunized with AstraZeneca vaccines also receive a third dose of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine, either from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.
It should be administered at least six months after the second dose. Appointments can be made on Clic Santé as of November 25.