Federal panel okays extending interval between doses of COVID-19 vaccines

A federal panel says the interval between doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can be
extended to four months.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its guidance on vaccines approved for use in Canada yesterday.

It says in the context of limited vaccine supply, jurisdictions should maximize the number of individuals benefiting from the first dose of vaccine by extending the interval for the second dose of vaccine to four months.

“Extending the dose interval to four months allows NACI to create opportunities for protection of the entire adult population within a short timeframe,” said the report.

“This will not only achieve protection of the adult population, but will also contribute to health equity.”

NACI says it will continue to monitor the evidence of the effectiveness of extending dose intervals and will make changes to the recommendations as needed.

It’s welcome news in Ontario.

A spokesperson for the health minister says the move will allow to province to protect more people.

The recommendation came two days after Ontario sought advice on dosing intervals in an effort to speed up its rollout, which has been criticized for being slow.

Ontario is updating its vaccine plan based on the news and information on doses of a third vaccine, Oxford-AstraZeneca, that arrived in Canada this week.