Nova Scotia will offer third doses of COVID-19 vaccines to immunocompromised people and people who can’t travel for work reasons because they have mixed doses, as well as booster doses to people living in long-term care, the province announced Wednesday.
The province will be following recent guidelines recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).
For moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals, NACI is recommending the third dose be an authorized mRNA-based vaccine under the following conditions:
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Active treatment for solid tumour or hematologic malignancies.
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Receipt of solid-organ transplant, taking immunosuppressive therapy.
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Receipt of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplant (within two years of transplantation or taking immunosuppression therapy).
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Moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (e.g., DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
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Stage 3 or advanced untreated HIV infection and those with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
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Active treatment with certain immunosuppressive therapies.
The booster doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will be provided to people living in long-term care homes and congregate-care settings.
At the Wednesday briefing, the province also announced that when the province enters Phase 5 of its reopening on Monday, the mask mandate will remain in place.
As well, informal gathering limits of 25 indoors and 50 outdoors will remain in place.
Nova Scotia’s proof-of-vaccination policy will require two pieces of authentication: paper or digital proof of vaccination and proof of identity (such as a driver’s licence, passport or health card).
People can use an app such as CANImmunize to show they have been fully vaccinated or use a federal app that will be rolled out Oct. 1 that generates a QR code that when scanned reveals a check mark or X.
For people who don’t have a cellphone, they can use a document they can print themselves that the province can offer.
Staff at facilities offering non-essential activities will be required to check for proof of vaccination when people enter.
Nova Scotia reported 41 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total known active caseload to 224.
Thirty-two of the new cases are in the central zone, four are in the northern zone, three are in the eastern zone and two are in the western zone.
There are now 12 people in hospital with COVID-19, including two in intensive care.
As of Wednesday, 74.6 per cent of Nova Scotians have received two vaccinations.
Labs in the province completed processing 5,720 COVID-19 tests on Tuesday.
Three schools were notified Tuesday of an exposure, including Ecole Mer et Monde in Halifax, Halifax West High School and Duc d’Anville Elementary School. The province is maintaining a list of all schools that have a COVID-19 case connected to them
Atlantic Canada case numbers
- New Brunswick reported two new deaths and on 68 new cases on Tuesday. The province has 632 active cases and 40 people hospitalized, including 16 in intensive care.
- Newfoundland and Labrador reported 14 new cases on Tuesday. The province has 159 active cases, and four people are in hospital.
- Prince Edward Island reported two new cases on Tuesday. The province has nine active cases.