HALIFAX: Nova Scotians who are 30 and older are now able to schedule an appointment for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
More than 55,000 Pfizer appointments were added to clinics across the province earlier this week, but booking had been restricted to people 12 to 29 because:
— people 12 to 17 can receive only the Pfizer vaccine for their first or second dose (this age group is not eligible for a booster dose)
— Pfizer is strongly recommended for people 18 to 29 for their first, second or booster dose; there is recent evidence that shows there is a rare but increased risk of myocarditis/pericarditis in young adults from Moderna vaccine as compared to Pfizer vaccine.
Anyone who is 30 and older and currently has a Moderna appointment is encouraged to keep their appointment so they can receive their vaccine sooner and to reduce vaccine wastage.
Nova Scotians are reminded that to be fully vaccinated, they need any two-dose combination of the Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines or the one-dose Janssen vaccine. People are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after their final dose. The interval between first and second doses in Nova Scotia is 56 days.
People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are eligible for a third dose of vaccine to complete their primary series. A third dose can be booked 56 days after the second dose.
People 18 and older are eligible for a booster dose at least 168 days after their primary series. Only Pfizer’s and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines are available for use as booster doses in Nova Scotia.
Anyone eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine can schedule an appointment online at https://novascotia.ca/vaccination or by calling the toll-free line: 1-833-797-7772.
Additional Resources:
Nova Scotia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Plan – Booster Doses: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/vaccine#booster-doses
