As part of its effort to increase the availability of first, second or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the Middlesex-London Health Unit is making the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Moderna Spikevax vaccines available at all its clinics. The decision means anyone who visits a mass vaccination clinic, a pop-up vaccination clinic hosted by the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service or one of the Community Hub COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic in Schools, will be able to receive the mRNA vaccine of their choice. The Health Unit hopes this will encourage more people to receive their booster dose of vaccine. As of the end of January, only 51.9% of all eligible residents 18 years of age and older had received a booster dose of vaccine.
The Health Unit continues to follow Ministry of Health guidance and vaccination recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. There is agreement among these groups that vaccine interchangeability remains a safe and effective approach to preventing COVID-19 infections. In other words, an individuals can receive different mRNA vaccines for each dose, or mix AstraZeneca with a second or third dose of an mRNA vaccine, The Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines offer very similar levels of protection against COVID-19, regardless of which is administered as a first, second or booster dose.
“The data continues to support the mixing of vaccines as a safe and effective approach to fighting COVID-19 which produces a strong immune response,” says Dr. Alex Summers, Acting Medical Officer of Health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit, “Regardless of the vaccine you received for your first or second dose, getting a booster shot as soon as you are eligible is the most important thing you can do to not only help move the community forward and out of this Omicron wave, but also get us closer to the end of the pandemic.”
Anyone 18 years of age and older is now eligible to receive a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, provided at least three months (12 weeks) have passed since receiving their second dose. While walk-ins are welcome at all clinics, vaccination appointments can still be booked www.covidvaccinelm.ca, or by calling 226-289-3560 (8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., seven days a week).
For a list of pop-up vaccination clinic dates, times and locations, visit www.healthunit.com/pop-up-vaccination-clinics.
Media Contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit,
519-617-0570 (cell.)
Spokesperson:
Dr. Alex Summers, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex-London Health Unit