TORONTO (Reuters) – The Canadian province of Ontario will begin offering second doses of COVID-19 vaccines to people 80 and up next week, and everyone in the province should be eligible by early August, according to a new plan released on Friday.
In early spring, facing limited vaccine supply and a surge of infections, Canada opted to delay second vaccine doses by up to 16 weeks for most people, so more could be partially protected. But with millions of doses delivered and expected soon, most will now not have to wait that long.
The decision by Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, came a day after British Columbia said most people will receive doses eight weeks apart.
In briefing materials released on Monday, Ontario said residents who are 80 or older will be eligible to book a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines the week of May 31, and people 70 to 79 will become eligible the week of June 14.
After that, prioritization will be based on when people received their first dose, with everyone eligible by the week of Aug. 9.
Some high-risk health workers, long-term care residents and others are already eligible for second doses in Ontario.
For people who wish to receive a second dose of AstraZeneca, second doses will be offered 10 or 12 weeks after first doses.
(Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
