NWT residents with moderately or severely compromised immune systems are now eligible for a fourth Covid-19 vaccine.
The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) made the announcement on Jan. 27 following the recommendation of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). The NTHSSA is now recommending a fourth dose of the vaccine at least six months after receiving a third dose for certain vulnerable groups.
Eligible residents include those who are undergoing cancer treatment, recent recipients of an organ transplant who are on immunosuppressive therapy, and those with either stage 3 HIV, an advanced untreated HIV infection or a confirmed AIDS diagnosis.
In a summary of its recommendation, the NACI explained that “while data on a fourth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine after the recommended three-dose primary series in moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals are currently limited, many of these individuals are at a higher risk of severe outcomes of Covid-19 and also at increased risk of decreasing protection over time since vaccination.”
The NTHSSA is also strengthening its recommendations for vaccinations in young people by recommending that those aged 5-15 with severely compromised immune systems should get a third dose four to eight weeks after their second.