At-risk Albertans to be given fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose

Alberta is moving to a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose for select at-risk Albertans, as the Omicron surge has landed more than 1,000 people in hospital.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, made the announcement at a COVID-19 update Tuesday afternoon.

Approximately 80,000 immunocompromised Albertans aged 18 and over will be eligible, according to Hinshaw.

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This Thursday, booking opens up and the booster can be given once five months have passed since receiving their third dose.

“This will decrease the chance people who are immunocompromised will have severe outcomes with COVID-19,” said Hinshaw.

Eligible immunocompromising conditions include:

• • recipients of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy
  • moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (for example, DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
  • Stage 3 or advanced HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
  • immunosuppressive therapies (for example, anti-B cell therapies, high-dose systemic corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, or tumor-necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and other biologic agents)
  • transplant recipients, including solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplants
  • chronic kidney disease receiving regular dialysis
  • receiving active cancer treatment (chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapies), excluding those receiving only hormonal therapy, radiation therapy or surgery
  • taking certain medications for autoimmune diseases including rituximab, ocrelizumab, ofatumumab and methotrexate

“We remain committed to protecting Albertans from the Omicron variant, and vaccinations continue to be our best tool in preventing severe outcomes,” said Premier Jason Kenney in a news release.

“We continue to rely on the latest research to guide our decision-making, and with evidence showing immunocompromised individuals benefit from a fourth dose, we are pleased to provide them.”

On Tuesday, Alberta reported more than 3,000 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths.