Days after the province bowed to public and political pressure over the availability of fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, British Columbians are increasingly confused and conflicted about what to do next.
On Friday, British Columbia health officials reluctantly announced that adults who received their last dose at least six months ago can now receive their fourth dose, but are strongly advised to wait until September.
The move followed in Quebec’s footsteps as stories continued to pile up of British Columbians driving to Washington state for booster doses to better protect themselves during a growing wave of Omicron-induced infections.
In addition to the mixed messages, text alerts began arriving from the province notifying recipients that booster doses would be available in the fall, ending with the statement: “If you’re 18+ and think you have unique needs, you can get another booster at early. This is fine, but not recommended,” echoed by the province’s immunization agency.
Until now only available to those over the age of 70 or with serious health conditions who received invitations, Dr. Penny Ballem spent most of her time Friday speaking as the head of the COVID-19 immunization program, trying tried to convince people to wait for their shot, but also said simply, “If you’re really worried, we’ll activate it [now].”
This wave of Omicron has already seen a spike in hospitalizations but fewer deaths with so many people already vaccinated or with some immunity from previous infections, helping to prevent deaths from previous waves.
TO WAIT OR NOT TO WAIT?
Waiting is easier said than done at a time when increasing numbers of British Columbians are past the six-month mark on their booster, and the omicron BA.5 variant is believed to be spreading so quickly because it is developed in a way that avoids immunity that is already weakening for many.
CTV News asked Dr. David Fisman, a physician, former provincial health officer and current professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, unaffiliated with BC’s health system, for his advice on what he recognizes , that it is a “dilemma” for many Canadians.
“Do you think BA.5 is enough of a risk for you now that you want to get that fourth dose now, or do you want to hold off until the fall?” he asked rhetorically.
“A lot of people, myself included, are looking at autumn and thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, autumn is when it’s going to get real’ because we’re expecting an Australia-like scenario where we also have an early start to the flu season after some you haven’t seen the flu in a while.”
Stories of patients getting sick from Omicron for the second or third time will undoubtedly influence one’s decision on the matter, but Fisman points out that wearing high-quality masks is something each of us can do, and choosing to socialize outdoors or with the windows open summer is much easier; conversely, the risk will be higher during the cold months when we are indoors and rely more on the protection provided by the vaccine.
THE PROMISE OF A BETTER VACCINE
Ballem suggested that by waiting until the fall, British Columbians have a better chance that their next vaccine will be bivalent, or specially designed to include protection from the original COVID-19 virus (as current vaccines are) as well as from Omicron-derived variants. which may be approved by the autumn.
“They look very promising,” added Dr. Martin Lavoie, British Columbia’s acting provincial health officer. “These new vaccines and boosters will be critical in helping us maintain our trajectory — a very positive trajectory so far in managing this pandemic.”
One thing that all experts agree on, but that is not well articulated by public health agencies in Canada, is that two doses of the vaccine are not enough to provide lasting protection against a growing number of variants. BC is struggling to convince the 1.3 million people who have had two strokes to get a third.
“I don’t really consider fourth doses a second booster, I think they’re a first booster, and it’s pretty clear that it’s a three-dose vaccine series,” explained Fisman, who cautioned that holding onto bivalent vaccines doesn’t guarantee one in the fall.
“My expectation is that there’s probably going to be limited supply and prioritization of people with more significant risk, whether it’s more comorbidities or age-related, so I think if you’re somehow a younger and otherwise healthy person, I doubt it you will be at the front of the line to receive this omicron-specific vaccine.”
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