Quebecers 70 and over can book 3rd dose this month

The Quebec government will allow people aged 70 and over to book an appointment for their third COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Nov. 16. 

The province's immunization committee, the CIQ, has recommended that Quebecers in that age group be offered a third dose in order to boost their immunity against the virus.

The appointments will roll out gradually, per age groups over 70. However, a period of six months has to have elapsed since the person's second COVID-19 vaccine dose.

People of any age who have had two doses of Astra Zeneca will also soon be eligible to make an appointment for a third dose, this time of an mRNA vaccine, said Health Minister Christian Dubé at a news conference Tuesday. 

The Quebec government will also soon administer third doses to seniors living in long-term care homes and private seniors' residences, Dubé said.

He said the roughly 220,000 people in long-term care homes should receive a third dose by the end of November.

The province had announced in late September it would offer booster shots to prevent outbreaks among vulnerable residents in those settings.

Since August, Quebec has offered a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to people who are severely immunocompromised.

While boosters for the general population weren't part of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization's recommendations at the end of October, provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia have already announced plans to expand eligibility for third shots.

As of Nov. 6, several groups of Ontarians have been eligible for booster doses, including those aged 70 and older; health-care workers; people who received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson; and First Nations, Inuit and Metis adults and their non-Indigenous household members.

In British Columbia, the policy is similar, and the government has also announced a plan to give all people 18 and older a third shot starting January 2022.