A man receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine dose in 2021. Along with COVID-19 vaccines, Ontarians will soon be able to get a flu shot and RSV immunization for free.
A man receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster vaccine dose in 2021. Along with COVID-19 vaccines, Ontarians will soon be able to get a flu shot and RSV immunization for free.
As fall arrives, the Ontario government has announced its annual immunization schedule ahead of this year’s respiratory illness season.
All vaccines are free and will be widely available starting Oct. 27. But some high-risk groups can get their shots sooner.
Here’s what vaccines will be available and when you can expect to can get your jabs.
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Flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines
Those who are more vulnerable to the common flu and COVID-19 will have the chance to get their vaccines before the general public.
Starting the week of Sept. 22, people who are patients and staff in hospital, residents and staff in long-term-care homes or are older than 65 will be able to get their latest COVID-19 shot at select pharmacies, public health units and health-care provider offices.
These same individuals will be able to start getting their flu shots a week later, the week of Sept. 29.
Everyone else will need to wait until the end of October to set up their vaccine appointments.
RSV immunizations
Unlike flu and COVID-19 vaccines, only certain people will be able to get a shot to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus.
RSV typically causes mild, cold-like symptoms in older children and adults, but it can cause serious lower respiratory tract infections in infants, young children and seniors. It’s also very common, with Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization noting that nearly all children will encounter the virus by age two.
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After expanding immunization access last year to all babies and  on the advice of the national immunization committee, the province announced late last month that any Ontarian over 75 will also now be eligible for a free RSV immunization.
RSV is the most harmful respiratory illness for young infants, says Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, a
Older adults will be eligible for a vaccine first, starting the week of Sept. 22.
Babies under two who are either entering their first or second RSV season will be eligible for an RSV immunization shot starting Oct. 1. While an RSV vaccine exists for adults, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends babies receive a shot of antibodies, which are more effective in protecting them than a traditional vaccine.
Pregnant people will also be eligible for an RSV vaccine starting Oct. 1.
Nathan Bawaan is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for
the Star. Reach him via email: nbawaan@thestar.ca
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