Hamilton reserving Pfizer vaccines for young adults due to limited supply
If you were hoping to pick and choose what vaccine you'd get for your COVID-19 booster shot, think again.
Hamiltonians 30 and older will be receiving Moderna vaccines at clinics across the city as of Tuesday, due to a provincial shortage of Pfizer doses.
In a media release Monday evening, Hamilton public health announced that as of Tuesday, its limited" supply of Pfizer will be earmarked for residents under the age 30 for either their first, second or third jab until further notice.
A provincial spokesperson told the Toronto Star Monday that while it has an ample" supply of mRNA vaccine doses, its supply of Pfizer is currently limited due to historical uptake." Ontario has requested four million doses of Pfizer from the federal government for January, which have yet to be approved.
The city said it will continue to work with the province to procure" additional supply of Pfizer vaccines as they come available.
Hamiltonians over the age of 30 will be offered the Moderna vaccine when they arrive at an immunization clinic come Tuesday, according to the release.
Ontario's Ministry of Health had previously recommended Pfizer for young adults after noting that cases of myocarditis and pericarditis had been particularly observed among males aged 18 to 24 that had received a Moderna vaccine.
Public health is encouraging and recommending everyone that is eligible for a vaccination to take the first vaccine available to them.
We need to work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community, to reserve health care and hospital capacity and to protect vulnerable populations," read the release.
Back in June, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended that people get the same mRNA vaccine as their first shot unless it is not readily available," in which case Moderna and Pfizer can be considered interchangeable."
Mixing COVID-19 vaccines is safe, effective, and enables Ontarians to benefit from the protection of a booster dose," read the Monday release. Both the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines provide strong protection against COVID-19 and its variants."
The provincial supply of pediatric doses of Pfizer for those aged 5-11 is unaffected by the shortage, as reported by the Star.
With files from The Toronto Star, Canadian Press and The Waterloo Region Record
Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com