Ottawa (Jan 12) The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) today released the National Advisory Committee on Immunization’s (NACI) Guidance on an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccines in the spring of 2024 for individuals at high risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. This guidance is based on current evidence and NACI expert opinion.
NACI recommends that starting in the spring, the following individuals who are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 may receive an additional dose of XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine:
- Adults 65 years of age and older
- Adult residents of long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors
- Individuals 6 months of age and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised (due to underlying conditions or treatment)
NACI says it is providing this guidance to help provinces and territories begin planning spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccine programs. This is a very similar approach to spring programs that have been recommended in Canada for the last two years.
The XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccines continue to be the recommended products for unvaccinated and previously vaccinated individuals, the advisory body said in a statement. Receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in the spring of 2024 is particularly important for individuals at increased risk of severe illness due to COVID-19, if they did not receive a recommended dose of an XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine during the fall/winter 2023 to 2024 program.
The recommended interval is 6 months from the last COVID-19 vaccine dose. However, a shorter interval of at least 3 months (i.e., a minimum interval of 3 months) has not been shown to pose a safety risk and may be used to support program implementation (including timing of the spring campaign relative to previous and future fall campaigns).
“Our experience in previous seasons has shown that protection against severe disease can wane about six months after the last vaccine dose for those at highest risk, a trend more evident among older adults who haven’t had a prior infection,” said Dr. Shelley Deeks, NACI Chair. “It is expected that most people will continue to be well protected by their fall XBB.1.5 vaccine dose this spring, but NACI advises that an additional dose of an XBB.1.5 vaccine may be provided to individuals at highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19, such as older adults and immunocompromised people.”
“As we move through the winter months into spring, the Public Health Agency of Canada and NACI will continue to monitor COVID-19 activity and the effectiveness of the updated vaccines,” added Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam,
