Quebecers can now get a new COVID-19 shot. What you need to know about the virus and vaccines
All Quebecers eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot starting Tuesday
Turkey might not have been the only thing passed around the table this Thanksgiving long weekend.
COVID-19 is once again circulating in Quebec, meaning cases and hospitalizations are on the rise.
Starting Tuesday, vaccination and screening centres, as well as local pharmacies, will be offering all Quebecers the new vaccines better tailored to the currently circulating Omicron subvariants of COVID-19, as well as the flu shot.
Here are some key questions and answers about the province's fall vaccination campaign:
When am I eligible for an updated vaccine?
People in long-term care homes (CHSLDS) and private seniors' residences have been able to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine since Oct. 2.
Everyone else is able to get one as of Oct. 10.
When and how can I book my appointment?
People who wish to get vaccinated can book a time slot through the Clic Santé website or by calling 1-877-644-4545 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
Can I get the flu shot at the same time?
Yes, you can get both shots during the same vaccination appointment.
Locations offering the co-administration of these vaccines are indicated on the Clic Santé website by a circular blue badge with two syringes that reads "Flu + COVID-19."
It's not enough to click that location — make sure you select the option to receive both.
However, children 11 and under will have to wait a little while longer for the option to book both shots at the same time due to limitations with the province's online booking system.
In a statement, Quebec's Health Ministry told CBC that in many cases, parents of children 11 and under who book a slot for one of the shots can ask for the other one during the same appointment.
I've had COVID recently. Do I still have immunity?
That depends. If it was over six months ago, your immunity has likely waned and you should probably get the shot.
The country's national vaccine advisers recommend getting boosted with updated vaccines if it's been at least six months since your last shot or your last infection.
If you caught COVID in the last month or so, you need to wait that six months. The good news is that experts say the best immunity comes from a combination of infection and vaccines.
If you are eligible, the new COVID-19 shot will also improve your immune response against currently circulating subvariants of the virus, which have popped up in recent months.
Will all locations have an updated COVID shot?
Hopefully, the government says.
CBC has learned that while people are able to book their COVID-19 shot online, some pharmacies and service centres currently taking appointments don't have the updated vaccines — yet.
Quebec's Health Ministry says final delivery dates of the new shots may differ from one territory to another.
"We're doing everything possible to ensure that institutions and community pharmacies quickly receive the number of doses needed to vaccinate people wishing to obtain the new vaccines as of Oct. 10," the ministry said in a statement.
Across Quebec, delays in the supply of the new COVID-19 vaccine have forced pharmacies to cancel or postpone between 10 and 15 per cent of appointments since bookings opened late last month, said Benoit Morin, president of the Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires, on Tuesday.
He says appointments for the coming days and weeks are limited due to vaccine supply, but says more doses are expected this week and assures "there will be enough vaccine for the entire population."
What are the new vaccines. Do I need one?
The Health Canada-approved updated mRNA-based shots — both Moderna and Pfizer — are monovalent, targeting just the Omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant, which means the vaccine is more tailored to the virus strains currently circulating.
Health officials and experts aren't calling the shots "boosters." Rather, they view the updated options in a similar way as annual flu shots.
"People shouldn't rely on the fact that, 'well, I've got the older vaccines, I've got the original one or I got the bivalent one, and I don't really need a booster,'" said infectious diseases specialist Dr. Donald Vinh, an associate professor in McGill University's department of medicine.
WATCH | Quebec gets new vaccines as cases rise:
"Don't see it as a booster because it's not boosting what you've been previously immunised against. It's essentially a new vaccine."
Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the CHU Sainte-Justine and the president of Quebec's immunization committee, said people who are at risk should get the Moderna shot — given that it's available — even if they have a preference for the Pfizer vaccine, which is expected to be available in the coming weeks.
What do Quebec health officials recommend?
The new COVID-19 vaccines are offered free of charge to anyone age six months and older who requests one, but Quebec public health officials are urging people who are the most at risk of suffering complications from an infection to get them.
This includes:
- People living in CHSLDs, private seniors' residences and other group settings with a high proportion of elderly and vulnerable individuals.
- People age 60 years and older.
- People age six months and older who are considered to be at high risk for complications, by being immunocompromised, pregnant or on dialysis.
- Health-care workers.
- Adults living in remote and isolated areas.
What is the COVID-19 situation looking like?
The province has been seeing an uptick in cases and hospitalizations since August.
According to the Health Ministry, there were 4,091 new COVID-19 infections for the week of Sept. 24 to 30 and 57 more people died with the virus.
As of Oct. 3, there were 1,493 people hospitalized with COVID-19, including 36 in intensive care.
Dr. Vinh says the case numbers are severely underrepresented.
"In Quebec it's quite problematic. We're estimating about 20 to 30,000 new cases daily," he said.
The vaccination campaign comes as mask mandates are being reintroduced in some health-care settings.
Are old COVID-19 rapid tests still usable?
Yes — Quebec health officials stress that boxes of rapid COVID-19 testing kits that people have at home are still usable and accurate, even if many were distributed more than a year ago.
Rapid tests are available free of charge to anyone who wants one at Quebec's various vaccination and screening centres, in schools and daycares.
Many pharmacies also offer them, but the free ones are reserved for vulnerable and at-risk members of the population, people covered by Quebec's public drug plan, youths age 14 to 17 and full-time students up to the age of 25.
WATCH | How to find COVID-19 tests in Quebec:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
with files from CBC's Antoni Nerestant, Alison Northcott and Shuyee Lee