Niagara Health expanding list for third dose

Region is close to having three-quarters of its population with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Niagara Health says it will immediately begin providing third doses of COVID-19 vaccine to a wider list of people, after the provincial government expanded its eligibility list.

The third-dose program started at the beginning of September, initially aimed at older people living in congregate settings like nursing homes, and others who were medically vulnerable.

“While receiving a complete two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series provides strong protection for the general population … for some vulnerable populations a third dose can provide an extra layer of protection,” Linda Boich, an executive vice-president at Niagara Health, said Thursday.

This week, the eligibility list was expanded to include people undergoing active treatment for solid tumours; those in receipt of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell; and those with moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency, such as DiGeorge syndrome or WiskottAldrich syndrome.

It also includes people in Stage 3 or advanced untreated HIV infection or with AIDS; and those undergoing active treatment with immunosuppressive therapies including anti-B cell therapies, high-dose systemic corticosteroids, and other

biological agents that are significantly immunosuppressive.

More information is at NiagaraHealth.on.ca.

Niagara is close to having three-quarters of its population with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

So far, 74.2 per cent of residents have one dose and 68.1 per cent are fully vaccinated. On Wednesday there were 1,408 vaccinations provided at clinics, doctors offices and pharmacies across the region.

Among eligible people, those who are 12 or older, 83.2 per cent have received one dose and 76.3 per cent have two.

Niagara Region Public Health reported 22 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

The increase in cases appears to have hit a plateau in Niagara after starting to rise in mid-August. In the past week there have been 216 new cases reported, and 219 in the week before that.

There were 291 active cases Thursday, compared to 110 one month ago.

As of late Wednesday, there were 12 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in Niagara, including four in intensive care.

Niagara Health reports 11 of them are unvaccinated, while one is fully vaccinated.

Of the 36 COVID-19 patients admitted since Aug. 7, 30 were unvaccinated, while six were fully vaccinated.

Local pharmacies continue to provide vaccinations, as does Niagara Health at its clinic at St. Catharines hospital. A schedule of public health clinics is at NiagaraRegion.ca/health/ covid-19.