Fall vaccines

It’s more complicated for seniors this year. There are four kinds of vaccines you can get, and some of them cost money.

Covid

• The fall 2023 vaccine has been updated to cover the currently circulating variants
• You’re eligible to receive it 6 months (24 weeks) after your last vaccine or Covid infection
• Access has been priorized first for high-risk groups, then it’s available to all beginning October 30
• You can safely get a flu shot at the same time
• You can book an appointment through the provincial booking system, a local pharmacy and some family doctors
• Free

Flu

• Access has been priorized first for high-risk groups, then it’s available to all beginning October 30
• There are three types of flu vaccines this year. The standard-dose vaccine protects against 4 virus strains. The adjuvanted vaccine protects against 3 strains and adds a substance to boost immune response, and the high-dose vaccine protects against 4 strains at higher doses. These last two vaccines are available to people aged 65+. Research shows little difference in effectiveness between these two, so just take what’s available
• If you want just a flu shot, you can book an appointment on the Toronto Public Health website, a local pharmacy, or a family doctor
• Free

Pneumonia

• Also called pneumococcal vaccine
• It used to be that if you had a pneumonia shot at age 65+, it was good for 10 years, but now there are new vaccines and the guidance is changing
• If you’ve never had a pneumonia shot, you should get one
• The newer versions are called PCV20 (conjugate) and PCV15 (conjugate). The older ones are called PCV13 (conjugate) and PPSV3 (polysaccharide)
• PCV20 has been shown to offer greater immune response
• The Ontario Immunization Advisory Committee now recommends PCV20 for all adults aged 65+. For patients who have had a previous pneumonia vaccine, they recommend PCV20 at least five years after immunization with PPV23, or one year after immunization with PCV13 alone. But the approval is recent, and both newer and older versions are being offered
• You can apparently get the pneumonia vaccine at the same time as other vaccines, but use your own judgment about how many shots you want to get at once
• There may be a charge for this vaccine

RSV

• This is a new one
• The vaccine, called Arexvy, prevents lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). The disease is particularly dangerous for seniors
• The publicly funded vaccine rollout is targeting seniors 60+ living in long term care homes and some retirement homes
• If you are a community-dwelling senior, should you get the RSV vaccine? You’ll need to discuss this with your doctor
• If you do want it, you have to arrange to pay for the vaccine through your healthcare provider
• You need to wait 14 days between receiving Arvexy and any other vaccine