Vaccine, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca! They all seem to be the watchwords of the day, the heroes boldly fighting to get us out of this pandemic. They are an important part of our response to this pandemic, but it is important that we don’t neglect other health-related concerns while we are so focused on the pandemic.

It is important that you still take the time to look after your health in other ways: get your regular lab work done, have that annual review with your primary care provider and your medication review done by your pharmacist, follow up on urgent changed symptoms and get your other age and seasonally appropriate vaccines.

Now you might say “Wait! Other vaccines? I heard we can’t get them with the COVID vaccines, what’s the deal?” Fear not, dear reader I will outline the important points regarding vaccination timing, both in general, as well as regarding the specifics of the COVID vaccines — and how you can access some important vaccines free of charge if you qualify.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI, is Canada’s foremost authority on vaccinations and publishes schedules that are the recommended timing of when to get vaccines, from newborn to old age.

Vaccine timing is critical right now, because we need to ensure an effective response to the COVID vaccines available to help protect as many people from this disease that is having a major impact on our community and communities around the world.

The current recommendations from NACI are to not have another vaccination within the 14 days before you get any COVID vaccine and to not get another vaccination for 28 days after you got a dose of any COVID vaccine.

It is important that, if you have a scheduled COVID vaccine, you are aware of this spacing and you let whoever is giving you your vaccine know if you have had any vaccines in the last month. That is always best practice because other vaccines also have timing considerations regarding, not just the COVID vaccine, but other vaccines as well.

Another question about timing you might have is, “How long do I need to wait between doses of my COVID vaccine?”

You may see, particularly in this area, friends and family in Michigan getting two doses of Pfizer separated by only three weeks, Moderna separated by four weeks, and you might hear that AstraZeneca is supposed to be between four and 12 weeks between each dose.

And yet you are told when you get your first dose that you will be scheduled for your second dose in 16 weeks.

This is because NACI has recommended that in the context of the ongoing pandemic and shortage of supply of vaccines, it is best to maximize the number of patients getting their first dose to help generate a level of population immunity before getting everyone their second doses to prevent the virus from as easily spreading in our communities.

There are exceptions though. If you are a patient who has a significant level of immunosuppression including certain cancer patients, transplant patients and people on certain medications, you are able to get it on schedule. This should be discussed with your doctor or pharmacist first to determine your eligibility and arrange the second dose on time.

Did you know?

Ontario has now made the new two-dose shingles vaccine available for free to patients aged 65 to 70 who have not received a free shingles vaccine from a doctor before.

If you have had the old one-dose shingles vaccine that you paid for through a prescription at a pharmacy and did not get free through another healthcare provider, you are still eligible to get the new vaccine for free and it is advised that you do so.

If you paid for and had the new two-dose vaccine already, it is not recommended that you get it again. The new two-dose shingles vaccine is currently recommended by NACI for anyone over the age of 50.

This means if you are at high risk or have had shingles before, you may want to discuss getting a prescription for it from your doctor and either paying for it out of pocket or trying it through your own private insurance to ensure you are protected as soon as possible.

Image by DoroT Schenk from Pixabay