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First COVID-19 booster dose approved for children in Canada The first COVID-19 booster vaccine for children has been approved in Canada as kids across the country prepare to head back to the classroom. Health Canada announced Friday it has authorized Pfizer's COVID-19 shot for children aged five to 11 years at least six months after completing their second dose. New guidance also released on Friday from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommended the third dose be offered to children who have underlying medical conditions, including immunocompromised kids. For all other children, NACI said a first booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine may be offered at least six months after their last shot. In making its recommendations, NACI said it reviewed the spread and severity of COVID-19 in this age group, protection from vaccination and infection as well as clinical trial data, which showed that Pfizer's booster dose was well tolerated in children aged 5 to 11 years. Meanwhile, daily COVID-19 cases are declining across the country, but public health officials and other experts have warned infections could surge again in the fall as activities move indoors. That is why NACI has recommended booster shots this fall in advance of a possible future wave of COVID-19. For more details, read Saba Aziz’s story here. 
Lack of clarity about upcoming national dental plan causing confusion, dentists say Dentists across Canada are raising concerns about a lack of clarity about the federal government’s plans to create a national dental care program, despite the fact it is supposed to kick in by the end of the year. Even after meeting with Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos this week, the Ontario Dental Association (ODA) says it is still unsure when the coverage will start or what care will be included. Some patients are putting off a trip to the dentist with hopes it will be free in the future, said Dr. Lisa Bentley, a dentist of over three decades and president of the ODA. As part of a confidence and supply deal with the NDP to avoid an election until 2025, the federal Liberals pledged to launch a federal dental-care program for low- and middle-income kids before the end of the year and aim to expand its eligibility over the next several years. Across the country, other associations are also confused about what is happening with the plan and are calling for more clarity on how it will roll out, what will be covered and how the federal plan will harmonize with existing provincial dental plans and private coverage. For more details on this story, click here. 
Q: How should I care for my pets if I have monkeypox or symptoms of monkeypox? This question is particularly timely after the World Health Organization this week confirmed the first case of human-to-dog transmission. Monkeypox can infect many different mammals and has been reported in dogs, anteaters, and multiple rodents. Animals can be infected with very few symptoms or can become quite ill, says Dr. Lynora Saxinger, a professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alberta. For that reason, if your pet has been exposed to you and you believe you may have monkeypox, it’s important that your pet isolate for the same length of time recommended for humans, which is 21 days in Canada. “If you are infected and already had a lot of contact with your animal it would still be best for that animal to be quarantined as possible — for them not to not necessarily have close prolonged contact with other animals or humans,” Saxinger said. “If a pet is already infected I would not see a point in removing it from staying with an infected person, but people might want to contact their veterinarian.” She added that there have been cases of spread of infection from the bedding of people with a lot of rash lesions, which can have high concentrations of virus. So it would be important to make sure all textiles and the entire area is cleaned well before reintroducing the animal to the home of an infected person — if kept apart from them during their infection — after they have healed and aren’t infectious anymore, Saxinger said. Kerry Bowman, a professor in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto, stressed the need to ensure animals who may have been exposed to monkeypox are not exposed to other animals, as it could lead to further spread of the disease in Canada. “If species out there like squirrels and rodents and things start carrying it, we’re all in big trouble,” he said, noting this is how the virus has been spreading in Africa, where the virus is endemic. | 
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