On November 3, 2021, the Province of Ontario announced its rollout plan for booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Booster doses of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine are recommended for the following groups at least six months (>/=168 days) following their second dose (regardless of the interval between their first and second dose):
Health-care workers including all regulated health professionals, staff, students, trainees, volunteers, essential caregivers providing in-person care in a health organization, as well as non-front-line workers that are frequently in the patient environment (e.g., cleaning, research, and administrative staff)
All First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals and their non-Indigenous household members
Recipients of two doses of AstraZeneca/COVIDSHIELD or one dose of Janssen
All Ontarians aged 70 or older
Residents of long-term care homes, retirement homes, First Nation elder care lodges, as well as seniors living in other congregate settings such as assisted-living facilities, chronic care hospitals and congregate seniors’ apartment buildings
Regardless of the vaccine used for the primary series, Pfizer or Moderna can be used as a booster.
A third dose will continue to be offered for moderately to severely immunocompromised patient groups.
Beginning Nov. 6, eligible individuals can book their booster dose appointment through the provincial COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre. Boosters can also be booked through local public health units and participating pharmacies. Hospital-based health-care workers are encouraged to reach out to the hospital where they work to get vaccinated.