COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility

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.

Individuals aged five years and older should consider delaying their COVID-19 booster until Fall 2023

Effective July 7, 2023, individuals aged five years and older should consider delaying their COVID-19 booster until Fall 2023, as respiratory season commences, to maximize protection against COVID-19 outcomes when peak circulation of the virus is expected. For more information, please visit www.ontario.ca.

• A booster dose prior to Fall 2023 may be appropriate for certain individuals based on their unique health status and personal situation. Individuals are encouraged to speak with a health care provider.

• Recommendations for fall booster doses will be available closer to Fall 2023.

Please note that primary series doses are still available for individuals six months of age and older.

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 12 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 who are at least six months of age can begin to receive their primary series.
• 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.

Nuvaxovid (Novavax) COVID-19 vaccine

Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine can be administered as a primary series for those 18 years of age and older, and as a booster for those 12 years and older if mRNA vaccine is contraindicated. Please call 519-663-5317 for more information. This vaccine is only administered at specific clinics and appointments are required.

Booster Doses

Effective July 7, 2023, individuals aged five years and older should consider delaying their COVID-19 booster until Fall 2023, as respiratory season commences, to maximize protection against COVID-19 outcomes when peak circulation of the virus is expected. For more information, please visit www.ontario.ca.

• A booster dose prior to Fall 2023 may be appropriate for certain individuals based on their unique health status and personal situation. Individuals are encouraged to speak with a health care provider.
• Recommendations for fall booster doses will be available closer to Fall 2023.

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 years and over.
• The Moderna Spikevax bivalent COVID-19 vaccine is available for individuals aged 6 years and over.

What are the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in Canada?

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

• Both the Moderna Spikevax bivalent vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty bivalent vaccines are an adapted version of the original vaccines produced, and target the original SARS-CoV-2 virus from 2019 and the Omicron (BA.4 and BA.5) variants. These vaccines trigger a strong immune response against both virus strains and generate a good immune response against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.

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.
• Following a three-dose primary series, immunocompromised individuals aged 5 years and over should receive bivalent booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine when eligible. Booster doses should be spaced at least six months from a previous COVID-19 vaccine 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.