Nova Scotia expands eligibility for COVID 19 booster shots to 60 and older

Nova Scotia has expanded its available appointments for COVID-19 booster shots.

Starting Friday front-line health care workers, designated caregivers and anyone 60 or older can get a third shot of vaccine.

Booster doses are administered at least 24 weeks after the primary series of shots, although health workers and designated caregivers are allowed to get a booster regardless of the interval.

Health officials say people under 30 who are eligible for a booster are encouraged to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because the rare risk of heart inflammations associated with mRNA vaccines appears more common with the Moderna vaccine than with Pfizer.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Officials also say people who received two doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine or the one-dose Janssen vaccine are still eligible to schedule a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine.

Booster doses have been available for people 70 and older since Nov. 23, and the province says as of today 105,000 people age 60 and older are also eligible for a shot.

2:03 St. FX university changes stance on in-person exams as COVID-19 outbreak grows

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2021.