With COVID continuing to circulate, health officials in Canada are urging people to get up-to-date on their vaccines and warn two doses aren’t enough to protect against the Omicron variant.
Dr. Brian Conway, the medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre and assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia says B.C. is behind in uptake on third doses.
“About half of eligible British Columbians have not received a third dose, and to benefit from a fourth dose, you have to have three doses. A couple of 100,000 doses of vaccine are set to expire and have to be destroyed before the end of the month,” Conway said.
“Let’s get that third dose in and then have an intelligent society-wide discussion about where and when to administer a fourth dose.”
In B.C., 83.6 per cent of eligible people have received two doses of COVID vaccines as of June 19, but only 52.1 per cent have received a third dose. Only 5.2 per cent of people have received a fourth dose.
Conway says one thing that is causing confusion about the booster shots is the different messaging coming from federal health officials, and their provincial counterparts.
“I understand the content, perhaps better than many and I’m confused, so I suspect that many others are confused,” Conway said.
“I would call for an urgent meeting of all the leadership of public health authorities across the country so that we can understand where there is commonality in thinking and tell everyone that and try and delineate as precisely as possible where there is a difference of opinion.”
“Everyone says they’re based on science, if they’re coming to a different conclusion, let’s try and understand that and explain it to people more clearly.”
On June 29, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization issued advice for jurisdictions to offer additional boosters to people at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness and all other individuals from 12 to 64 years of age, regardless of the number of booster doses they’ve already received.
READ MORE: NACI recommends fall COVID-19 booster shot in advance of possible future wave
NACI recommended prioritizing adults in Indigenous, racialized and marginalized communities, as well migrant workers, and those in shelters, correctional facilities and group homes for booster shots.
Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said it is important for everyone to get their booster shot to protect against COVID cases.
“As cases go up, like BA.4 for BA.5, as indicated in some areas of Canada, getting that booster, if you haven’t had it, now would be quite important, in particular going into the fall,” said Tam.
However, in B.C., health officials have not indicated any changes in plan for the rollout of fourth dose.
Currently, only seniors over age 70, Indigenous people over age 55, and people in long-term care are eligible to receive a fourth shot.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, last spoke about fourth doses on May 10, where she said data showed a third dose is providing adequate protection.
“What we’re seeing from other countries is that that fourth dose, that second booster, does give a boost in protection against infection and also stimulates a stronger protection from more severe illness and death, but it also wanes again over time,” Henry said.
“What we want to do for most people who still have really good, strong protection from their third dose…that protection is good enough to get us through Omicron and very highly protective for people staying out of hospital and preventing severe illness.”
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says it is important to stay up-to-date on COVID vaccines.
“But what exactly do we mean by up to date vaccination? Let me be very clear. Up to date means you’ve received your last dose in the past nine months,” Duclos said in a June 30 news conference. “If you’ve already received the first booster, that’s great. And please see if you’re eligible for a second or a third booster to remain up to date.”
LIVE: Federal health minister and officials provide update on COVID-19: https://t.co/86uQpfP5iu
— Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) June 30, 2022
Speaking in French, Duclos said scientific studies show immunity provided by two doses of the vaccine diminishes over time. He says that against Omicron, two doses is no longer sufficient.
He says staying up-to-date on COVID vaccines reduces risk of infection, of developing serious illness, and of developing long-COVID.
According to B.C.’s latest COVID update, 620 people tested postive for COVID-19 from a PCR test between June 19 and June 25.
B.C. does not have a way for people to report rapid test results and does not include rapid test results in COVID updates.
Currently, only immunocompromised people, people with high-risk conditions, people 70 or older, people who aren’t fully vaccinated, or people whose medical care may be affected by a positive result are eligible for PCR tests.
In the same week, there were 169 hospital admissions, and 17 people who died, though both of these numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
-With files from CBC and The Canadian Press
Laura Brougham
