Quebec has reached its goal of administering a first vaccine dose to 75 per cent of adults and now the province is shortening wait times for second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to as early as 8 weeks.
“It is important that the offer to advance the second dose of vaccine be made according to the prioritization schedule established by age group, as older people are at greater risk of developing complications from COVID-19,” the department said.
Speaking to reporters in Quebec City, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé said about three million appointments can be rescheduled.
Quebecers will be able to reschedule their second doze by age group, beginning with those 80 and older on Monday.
Here is the full schedule:
June 7: 80 and older
June 8: 75+
June 9: 70+
June 10: 65+
June 11: 60+
June 14: 55+
June 15: 50+
June 16: 45+
June 17: 40+
June 18: 35+
June 21: 30+
June 22: 25+
June 23: 18+
Dubé said those ages 12-17 are not included yet because teenagers have not yet received their first dose.
If Quebecers want to change the date of their second shot, they can reschedule their appointment via the Clic Santé booking website.
The province previously reduced the interval between AstraZeneca doses to eight weeks in May. Second doses of that shot are being offered at walk-in clinics but now the department says anyone who received the AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose but prefers Pfizer or Moderna as their second shot, can do so after eight weeks.
The number of new COVID-19 cases in the province has continued to drop over the past month, with daily infections below 300 over the past four days.
Quebec has so far administered a total of 5,808,464 doses since the start of the vaccination campaign.
