COVID-19 Third Dose vs Booster Dose
November 23, 2021 - The WFN health team will be holding 2 small COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Clinics for Indigenous WFN Elders 55+ and the members of their households. You must have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with at least 6 months passing since the second dose.
Clinics will be Monday, December 13,2021 in the morning and Tuesday, December 14,2021 in the afternoon and will be located in Siya room on the 2nd floor of the Community Services building.
A member of the WFN health team will be contacting all eligible Elders 55+ to book an appointment for those that want the booster shot.
November 22, 2021 - It is important to know the difference between third dose vs booster dose because the amount of vaccine administered is different between the two. There are also different criteria that must be met to qualify for a third dose than there is for a booster dose.
COVID-19 Third Doses:
For people who do not develop the same immune response to the first two doses of the vaccine, a third dose is needed to get a similar level of protection as other in the population.
Recommended for some people who are moderate to severely immunocompromised. This includes:
- people who have had a solid organ transplant and taking immunosuppressive therapy
- people taking treatment for cancer or malignant conditions including chemotherapy and radiation therapy
- people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplant September 2019 or later
- people in active treatment with immunosuppressive therapies
- people on dialysis or with severe kidney or renal disease
Everyone who is eligible for a third dose have already been contacted by Interior Health.
If you believe you meet the criteria to get a third dose and haven’t been contacted, please reach out to your health care provider. Your health care provider will be able to determine whether you are eligible for a third dose and fill out the necessary paperwork that can then be taken to a walk-in vaccine clinic.
WFN will not be providing COVID-19 third doses.
COVID-19 Booster Doses:
A booster dose is given months later when a person has completed their two-dose vaccine series and protection against the virus begins to decrease over time. A booster dose gets immunity back up to a desirable level of protection for an extended period of time.
The recommended timing of booster doses is 6 to 8 months after your 2nd dose. The highest risk populations will be eligible for their booster first, including:
- seniors 70+
- Indigenous people 18+
- residents in independent living facilities and people who receive long-term home support
- health care workers who received their first 2 doses on a shortened schedule between doses
WFN will be not be organizing mass COVID-19 Booster Dose clinics.
The WFN health team will be contacting Elders aged 55+ and their household, regarding the option to be given a booster dose at a small vaccine clinic in December. All other Members, including staff can contact Interior Health if they are interested in receiving a booster dose.