COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility

Keep your COVID-19 vaccines up to date

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective and will continue to protect us against COVID-19. Please note: the Middlesex-London Health Unit follows the Ontario Ministry of Health guidance on eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine in Ontario.

Spring COVID-19 Booster Dose

Are you at higher risk for severe outcomes of COVID-19? The Middlesex-London Health Unit recommends higher-risk individuals (65+ years old, pregnant, residents of long-term care/retirement homes, 18+ years old and immunocompromised, etc.) get a booster dose this spring if it’s been six months since receiving your last vaccine or confirmed COVID-19 infection. Learn more →

Primary Series

A primary series is the initial number of doses of a COVID‑19 vaccine that a person needs to develop a strong initial immune response. Most people need two doses of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna) or Novavax (for those over 18 years of age) to complete their primary series. If you are immunocompromised, you may need a three-dose primary series. Each dose in a primary series should be given at an interval of eight weeks between doses.

Individuals aged 6 months and over are eligible for a primary series of COVID-19 vaccine

• Children aged six months to under five years can receive the Infant Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. To receive the vaccine, children must be at least six months old.
• A booster dose is not available for children aged six months to under five years.

Recommended spacing between COVID-19 vaccine doses in a primary series

The Ontario Ministry of Health recommends an interval of eight weeks (56 days) between first and second doses (minimum spacing is 28 days). There is emerging evidence that longer intervals between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines result in more robust and durable immune response and higher vaccine effectiveness.

Please note: The Infant Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine (for children six months to under five years old) is a primary series of three doses instead of two. Spacing between dose two and three must be 56 days (no shorter spacing is available).

Nuvaxovid (Novavax) COVID-19 vaccine

The Health Unit has a limited supply of the Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine. If you are interested in receiving the vaccine, please call 1-226-289-3560 to be added to the waitlist. We will contact you when vaccine is available for you.

Booster Doses

To see if you're eligible for a booster dose, use the Ontario Government’s booster dose eligibility checker. Based on guidance from Health Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), the Ontario Ministry of Health recommends high-risk individuals receive their next COVID-19 booster dose this spring.

Who’s eligible?

• Individuals in high-risk groups are recommended to book an appointment for a spring COVID-19 booster if it has been at least six months since their last dose or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
• Individuals 5 years and older who have not yet received a booster dose since September 1, 2022, are recommended to receive a booster dose if it has been at least six months since their last dose or confirmed COVID-19 infection.
• Individuals who are not high-risk and have already received a booster since September 1, 2022, will be eligible for a booster dose closer to Fall 2023.

High-Risk Groups

• Individuals aged 65 years and older;
• Residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, Elder Care Lodges, and other congregate living settings for seniors;
• Individuals aged 18 years and older living in a congregate care setting for people with complex medical care needs;
• Pregnant individuals;
• Individuals aged 18 years and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised; and
• Individuals aged 55 years and older who identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis and their non-Indigenous household members aged 55 years and older.

Bivalent Booster Doses

The following bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are available for booster doses.

• The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is available for individuals aged 5 and over.
• The Moderna Spikevax bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is available for individuals aged 18 and over.

What are the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in Canada?

Two bivalent COVID-19 vaccines are currently authorized by Health Canada.

• The Moderna Spikevax bivalent vaccine is an adapted version of the original Moderna vaccine and targets the original SARS-CoV-2 virus from 2019 and the Omicron (BA.1) variant. This vaccine triggers a strong immune response against both virus strains and generates a good immune response against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
• The Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty bivalent vaccine is an adapted version of the original Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and targets the original SARS-CoV-2 virus from 2019 and the Omicron (BA.4 and BA.5) variant, producing a strong immune response against both virus strains.

To learn more, visit Health Canada’s website at www.canada.ca.

Immunocompromised individuals

Three-dose primary series and booster doses

Some individuals who are immunocompromised are eligible for a three-dose primary series, which means that three doses of COVID-19 vaccine are received to complete an initial vaccination series. This is because underlying health conditions could put these individuals at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. A three-dose primary series enhances the immune response and establishes an adequate level of protection against COVID-19.

• Individuals aged six months and over who are immunocompromised are eligible for a three-dose primary series.
• NOTE: The Infant Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is a four-dose primary series for immunocompromised children between 6 months and under 5 years old.
• Following a three-dose primary series, immunocompromised individuals aged 5 years and over should receive bivalent booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine at a recommended interval of six months after their previous dose.

Who is considered immunocompromised?

You might be eligible as someone who is immunocompromised if you are:

• a transplant recipient (including solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplants)
• receiving stable, active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy) for a malignant hematologic disorder or solid tumor
• in receipt of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell
• an individual with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (for example, DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
• in Stage 3 or advanced untreated HIV infection and those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
• undergoing active treatment with the following categories of immunosuppressive therapies: anti-B cell therapies (monoclonal antibodies targeting CD19, CD20 and CD22), high-dose systemic corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, or tumor-necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and other biologic agents that are significantly immunosuppressive or are taking immunosuppressant medications.
• receiving dialysis (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis)

Re-vaccination with a new COVID-19 vaccine primary series

The following individuals are eligible for a new COVID-19 vaccine primary series.

• Post-transplantation individuals who received hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT), hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) (autologous or allogeneic), and recipients of CAR-T-cell therapy, due to the loss of immunity following therapy or transplant.