COVID-19 booster shots now recommended for all Islanders 18 and over

Many Prince Edward Islanders will soon be rolling up their sleeves for a booster shot to protect against COVID-19 as long as at least six months has elapsed since their second dose of vaccine.

P.E.I.Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison announced Friday that the boosters are now recommended and will be availablefor all Islanders 18 and older, followingadvice earlier in the dayfrom Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI.

"Booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines can increase the immune response and offer more protection against infection," Morrison said.

The goal of the boosters is to minimize serious illness and death, preserve health-care capacity and reduce transmission to protect high-risk populations, she said in a written release Friday.

Islanders should plan to get a booster at least six months after their second dose,by making an appointment at a Health P.E.I. clinic or one of 28 partner pharmacies across the Island.

P.E.I.'s CPHO strongly recommends booster shots for three particular groups most at risk ofsevere complications from COVID-19:

• those 50 and over;
• residentsof long-term and community care facilities; and
• people with moderately to severely compromised immunity, even if they've had a series of three doses already as previously advised.

After the news release was distributed, the province confirmed in an emailto CBC News that for the last category of Islanders on this list, thebooster will be theirfourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

One new case

In the same news release Friday, Morrison also announced one new case of COVID-19 in P.E.I.

The person in their 70s is a close contact of a previously announced case. Contact tracing is complete, and the individual is self-isolating.

There are currently 19 active cases of COVID-19 in P.E.I. and a total of 382 cases since the pandemic began.