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By Shaun Penner
Vaccine Rollout

Alberta extending time between COVID-19 vaccine doses by up to four months

Mar 3, 2021 | 4:33 PM

Alberta will begin extending the time between first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine to four months, according to the chief medical officer of health.

This change follows a recommendation from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization on Wednesday to delay the second dose for up to 16 weeks, up from the previously recommended three weeks.

Starting March 10, anyone who books a first dose of vaccine in Alberta will now receive their second dose up to four months later. Appointments for second doses will also not be booked when a first dose is booked, as they had been previously, and anyone who receives a first dose will get a reminder from Alberta Health Services to book an appointment to get their second dose.

“For those who already have a second dose appointment booked, it will go ahead as scheduled,” explained Dr. Deena Hinshaw. “And anyone who books their appointment before March 10 will still be able to book a second appointment within their 42-day window.”

The goal, Hinshaw said, is to provide “first doses to all Albertans as soon as possible.”

“This change will significantly increase how quickly we can offer Albertans the protection of their first dose,” said Hinshaw. “The more people that we can offer this protection to in the coming weeks and months, the more effective we will be at stopping spread.”

The B.C. government was first to announce Monday that it will extend the wait between first and second doses to four months. That decision came as the B.C. government based its decision on data coming from the United Kingdom, Israel and Quebec that shows the first dose of vaccines is 80 per cent effective.

READ MORE: A look at the studies from Israel, U.K. that informed B.C.’s second-dose delay

“The evidence on COVID-19 is constantly evolving, and it is critical that we use the most up-to-date information as we refine our approach,” Hinshaw added.

“This change is based on providing the most benefit to the most people, based on evidence that we have seen from around the world.”

As of March 2, there have been 255,283 doses of vaccine administered in the province, with 89,094 Albertans having been fully immunized.

Hinshaw said the recently approved AstraZeneca vaccine, the third vaccine to be greenlit by Health Canada, should begin to arrive next week. She says she hopes to update Albertans “soon” about how the AstraZeneca vaccine will be distributed in Alberta.

It is recommended that vaccine not be used on anyone over the age of 65 due to concern about limited data on how it will work in older populations. Health Minister Tyler Shandro has stated the province will follow that recommendation and not offer it to anyone 65 and older.

(With files from the Canadian Press)

by Shaun Penner