Bivalent COVID-19 boosters are available for all adults in Ottawa today

Starting today, bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters are available to anyone in Ontario 18 or older.

The vaccine, which targets Omicron variants of COVID-19, was previously made available to certain groups of people, including anyone 70 and older, health-care workers, long-term care home residents and First Nation, Inuit and Métis individuals, among other at-risk groups.

Now, anyone 18 and older in Ontario can request and receive a bivalent booster dose. Appointments can be booked through the COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre (PVCC) at 1-833-943-3900. Appointments will be for a local community clinic. There is limited walk-in space for community clinics and people are encouraged to book an appointment.

Ottawa Public Health also has neighbourhood health hubs for residents of certain neighbourhoods.

Eligible individuals can also book an appointment directly through public health units that use their own booking systems, Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, participating health care providers and participating pharmacies.

The recommended interval for the bivalent booster is 168 days since a previous dose. The minimum interval is 84 days. Individuals who would like to receive their bivalent booster between three months and the recommended six-month interval, or who otherwise have difficulty booking their appointment online, must call the PVCC to book an appointment.

Ottawa's medical officer of health is strongly encouraging residents to get all booster doses for which they are eligible this fall.

"The bivalent COVID-19 booster is another layer that we can use to increase protection against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variants in Ontario," Dr. Etches said in a statement earlier this month.

According to OPH data, just over 207,000 residents of Ottawa have had at least four doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Most people with a fourth dose are 60 or older.

PAEDIATRIC DOSES AVAILABLE

Starting today, the province says the new paediatric Pfizer vaccine will be another vaccine available for children aged between six months to under five years old. Parents and caregivers can continue to book appointments through the same methods as for the bivalent vaccination.

The province says the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for infants and children aged six months to under five years, including those who are immunocompromised, is a three-dose primary series, with a recommended dosing interval of eight weeks between doses.

It is not recommended parents mix doses for children receiving their primary series of COVID-19 vaccine. Children should receive the same product for all their primary series doses, whether it is Pfizer or Moderna.

To date, 16 per cent of children six months to four years in Ottawa have had one dose and one per cent have had at least two.