Quebec public health officials are recommending to Premier François Legault’s government that people under 60 years of age should not receive boosters, CBC reports.
CBC quotes a source who took part in the recommendations as saying, “We don’t really want people under 60 to get a dose every six months.”
The Health Ministry is considering recommendations to provide COVID-19 boosters six months after receiving a second shot in the series only to those the government deems at risk of complications. They include residents of long-term care facilities, immunocompromised people, dialysis patients, health-care workers, pregnant women and adults living remotely, or individuals who have never had COVID.
Under the recommendations, even those who have had COVID could skip a booster dose if they'd already had a course of two doses and one booster.
According to provincial statistics, 65.6 percent of adults in Quebec have received three shots—two doses plus a booster.
Ninety-four percent of elderly patients living in long-term care facilities have received three doses, and 85 percent of health-care workers.
Among the chronically ill, 81 percent have had three shots.
In children aged 5–11, 43 percent have had three shots, while 78 percent of teens aged 12–17 have had the full course.
Alain Lamarre, professor and researcher of virology and immunology at the National Institute for Scientific Research, told CBC that the new recommendations are reasonable, and that most people will not require another booster every five or six months as they have already had COVID, and possibly even Omicron, which is similar to a new virus in circulation.
He said there is no significant benefit in getting an extra booster for someone who already has two shots and a booster.
On Jan. 17, the province had 16 new deaths and 616 hospitalizations connected with COVID, and 30 patients in intensive care.
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