Saskatchewan announced yesterday it’ll be the latest province to open booster shot eligibility to those 18 years of age and over.
On the heels of that announcement were yesterday’s COVID-19 case numbers in Nova Scotia – a record-high 287. Yet in comments to media, Premier Houston confirmed that Nova Scotia will continue to be an anomaly in its booster shot rollout, with availability right now to those 60 and over, healthcare workers and immunocompromised.
However, leading epidemiologists have confirmed the Omicron variant disproportionately affects younger adults – echoing NACI’s latest recommendations that booster shots be expanded to those 18 and up as well.
“What we’re seeing is that Omicron is spreading through our province like wildfire, typically among younger people,” says Health and Wellness critic Zach Churchill. “And we now know that booster shots are critical in containing transmission of COVID-19, so we need to have those third doses into the arms of all adults over 18 as soon as possible.”
With Saskatchewan’s latest announcement, nine other Canadian provinces have now expanded their booster shot doses to those 18 and over, as the Omicron variant continues to move through the country ahead of the holidays.
Case numbers are only expected to climb in our province as well – and the Nova Scotia Liberal Party is once again calling on the Houston government to open up booster shot eligibility for every adult in the province, right away.