NITAG publications and updates:
COVID-19 Booster vaccination:
- NACI updated its guidance on a first booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada. In particular:
NACI has strengthened the following recommendations from ‘may’ to ‘should,’ so that now all adults 18 years of age and over are strongly recommended to receive a booster dose:
- A first booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should be offered at least 6 months after the completion of a primary series to all adults 18 to 49 years of age and over.
- A first booster dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should be offered at least 6 months after the completion of a primary series to adolescents 12 to 17 years of age who:
- have an underlying medical condition that puts them at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, including adolescents who are immunocompromised and have already received an additional vaccine dose;
- are residents of congregate living settings;
- belong to racialized and/or marginalized communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
NACI recommends that jurisdictions prepare for the rapid deployment of a second COVID-19 vaccine booster dose program over the coming weeks prioritizing the following populations, as close surveillance and assessment suggest concerning trends in the COVID-19 pandemic:
- Adults 80 years of age and over living in the community; and
- Residents of long-term care or other congregate living settings for seniors. (Strong NACI Recommendation)
- While the greatest benefit is expected in adults 80 years of age and older, jurisdictions may also consider offering a second COVID-19 booster dose to adults 70-79 years of age living in the community. (Discretionary NACI Recommendation)
- ATAGI recommends winter booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for:
- Adults aged 65 years and older
- Residents of aged care or disability care facilities
- People aged 16 years and older with severe immunocompromise (as defined in the ATAGI statement on the use of a 3rd primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine in individuals who are severely immunocompromised)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 years and older.
• ATAGI does not recommend that adolescents aged 12-15 years need to receive a booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and will continue to review international evidence on efficacy of a booster in this age group. More explanation here.
- CDC added guidance that:
- people aged 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may choose to receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the first booster dose
- adults aged 50 years and older who are not moderately or severely immunocompromised may choose to receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months after the first booster dose
Pertussis:
- The French NITAG recommends the vaccination against pertussis in pregnant women from the second trimester of pregnancy, favoring the period between 20 and 36 weeks. It recommends that vaccination be carried out for each pregnancy and that the cocooning strategy be maintained. Depending on cases, vaccination against whooping cough can be carried out at the same time as vaccination against seasonal influenza and/or Covid-19 in pregnant women. More information here.
SAGE resources:
- The April SAGE meeting highlights are available here.
- Each presentation of the April SAGE meeting are available here. The pdf should be downloaded and then you need to click on the pictogram to get the presentation.
- HPV session presentations are attached for reference.
WHO resources:
WHO developed a slide deck entitled “Considerations for choosing COVID-19 vaccine products” available in English (attached) and French.
Content: This slide set summarizes WHO latest recommendations and considerations for choosing COVID-19 vaccine products with WHO Emergency Use List (EUL) (currently available under COVAX).
Objective: To help orient the Ministry of Health (MoH) and National Immunization Advisory Committee Group (NITAG) in their COVID-19 vaccine product choices to optimize their portfolio.
GNN webinar:
The GNN is organizing a one hour webinar on Booster vaccination on Monday 2nd of May at 2pm – agenda and webinar link will be circulated by end of this week.