Priority groups for early COVID-19 immunization

Dr. Caroline Quach and Dr. Shainoor Ismail discuss guidance on identifying priority populations for COVID-19 immunization. It's likely that when Canada does get a vaccine, it will not be possible to immunize all Canadians at once. We therefore need to have a plan in place for prioritization within our population. Dr. Quach and Dr. Ismail are two of the authors of an evidence-based guideline publishing in CMAJ outlining which key populations need to be prioritized for early COVID-19 immunization. They wrote this guidance as part of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). This work was supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Dr. Caroline Quach is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and microbiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine and is also a professor at the University of Montreal. Dr. Shainoor Ismail is a senior medical specialist at PHAC. The summary guideline is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202353 The full guideline is available on the Public Health Agency of Canada's website: //www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/guidance-key-populations-early-covid-19-immunization.html Podcast transcript: //www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202353 ----------------------------------- Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.