Nunavut offering second COVID-19 booster shots for people 50 and older

Nunavummiut aged 50 and older can now get their second COVID-19 booster shots.

The territory’s Health Department announced Tuesday it has begun offering the booster shots, which count as a fourth dose of the vaccine.

Anyone 50 and older who received their third dose of the vaccine at least four and a half months ago is eligible, said spokesperson Danarae Sommerville.

The Government of Nunavut made the move in response to recent guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations.

It also follows the lifting Monday of most of Nunavut’s public health restrictions around COVID-19, including the requirement to mask-up in certain public settings.

The department said first booster shots are also available now to children aged five to 11 who are “moderately or severely immunocompromised,” four to eight weeks after their second dose, Sommerville said.

Meanwhile, first booster shots continue to be available to all Nunavummiut age 12 and older.

First and second dose vaccinations are still available to all Nunavummiut aged 5 and older.

“The additional doses of the vaccine help increase protection against COVID-19. Recent evidence has shown that vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 infection decreases over time,” Sommerville said.

Appointments for COVID-19 vaccines can be made by calling local community health centres or public health units.

Sommerville said masks continue to be mandatory at health facilities and must be worn to vaccination appointments.