Ontario will publish its plan to expand the fourth dose eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine and update its testing strategy in an announcement Wednesday.
Health medical director Dr. Kieran Moore will talk about when adults ages 18-59 can access the fourth COVID-19 vaccinations.
He will also talk about the province’s free rapid antigen testing distribution program, which expires on July 31st.
Unlike Quebec, the United States, and several other provinces, Ontario does not allow health care workers and non-immunocompromised adults to receive the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Ontario opened eligibility for the third dose for all adults nearly seven months ago.
Eligibility includes congregant care residents, a select group of immune conditions, Indigenous people, and anyone over 60 years of age.
Ontario epidemiologists are divided on the value of offering a fourth dose now versus waiting until the fall, when federal health officials expect the country to face another wave of COVID-19 transmission.
But Ontario and the rest of the nation are already on a wave this summer driven by the BA.5 subvariant of coronavirus.
The delay, debate, and eligibility discrepancy among Ontario caused an Ottawa GP, Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, to threaten legal action if the province does not extend eligibility for doses soon.
On Tuesday, he told CP24 that his legal team is waiting to see what the Ontario plan looks like, as what is announced could not involve opening up eligibility for the dose to all adults.
Moore speaks at 11 a.m. from Queen’s Park.
CP24 will broadcast the update live and online.