THE Province announced on Monday that to help address community outbreaks and increased cases of the virus among people who have only one dose of the vaccine, it will begin offering second-dose appointments at an earlier interval, based on vaccine and appointment availability.

Currently, invitations for the second dose go to people 49 days after their first dose. The Province is transitioning toward offering second-dose vaccinations for people as early as 28 days after their first dose.

Starting Monday evening (August 9), invitations to book second-dose appointments will be sent, based on the new 28-day minimum interval. This timeframe will be the same for those who received Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca for their first dose.

The Province said that receiving a second dose earlier is particularly important in high-transmission communities. The recommendation from public health for those not living or working in high-transmission communities continues to be to wait six to eight weeks after the first dose to receive the second dose.

Every person is recommended to get fully vaccinated with two doses of COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community.