New Brunswickers Gear Up for Fourth Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

New Brunswickers age 50 and older as well as First Nation individuals aged 18 and older will soon be eligible to book a fourth dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Participating pharmacies are preparing to administer second doses of booster shots starting April 19. Pharmicist and President of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association Andrew Drover says his pharmacy in Moncton, Harrisville Pharmacy, is already getting many phone calls from customers hoping to book appointments.

"The phones started ringing right after Public Health made the announcement on Friday," said Drover. 

In order to be eligible for a booster shot, at least five months needs to have passed since your last dose. And if you've contracted covid-19 recently, at least three months will need to have passed since you tested positive for the virus regardless of how long it's been since your last dose.

"If you've had COVID-19 recently, the antibodies could interact with the effectiveness of the vaccine," said Drover.

Drover says getting a fourth booster is advisable for people over 50 to better protect them from the virus.

A list of pharmacies providing covid-19 vaccines can be found on the government of New Brunswick's website. As of Monday, vulnerable New Brunswickers who've contracted COVID-19 can now get prescriptions from their primary caregivers for the anti-viral treatment paxlovid.

Paxlovid comes in pill form and is designed to be taken by adults twice daily in the early days of infection for five days. The medication helps reduce symptoms as well as the length of a time a person is sick. It also significantly reduces a vulnerable person's chances of being hospitalized or dying from the virus. Due to potential interactions with other medications, not everyone who is considered vulnerable is eligible for this treatment.

Before this week, just over 300 New Brunswickers had been treated for COVID-19 with Paxlovid, but Public Health is projecting an uptick now that the medication is more accessible, with prescriptions being fillable at most pharmacies.

"We have Paxlovid on hand here at our pharmacy in case we need to fill a prescription," said Drover.