Starting next Wednesday, anyone over the age of 50 in Newfoundland and Labrador can get a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as the province prepares to push back the highly transmissible BA.5 variant.
In a briefing on Wednesday, her first since May, the chief medical officer of health, Dr Janice Fitzgerald, said the new mutation – a sub-variant of Omicron – did not appear to cause more severe disease but could evade immunity a little better.
“We can expect to see an increase in hospitalizations over the next two to three weeks as well,” she said.
“The increase in cases is expected given what we are seeing in other jurisdictions with the BA.5 sub-variant.”
She said the next wave is not expected to be worse than those the province has seen before, with hospitalizations likely to peak in late July or August. About 30 people are expected to be in hospital at the height of the wave.
Appointments will be available from next week for those who have been 20 weeks since their last booster.
But even with the rapid rollout of the BA.5 variant, the insulation requirements in the Netherlands are not changing, Fitzgerald said.
Seven days of self-isolation are required for anyone who tests positive for COVID-19.
Fitzgerald said public health will consider reducing the time required for self-isolation once there is a reduction in COVID-19 activity and a sustained reduction in hospitalizations.
An autumn increase is expected
Although public health expects an increase in cases in the coming weeks, Fitzgerald said they are also preparing for a spike in the fall when people move back inside.
She said anyone looking to get their next booster dose should consider doing so when it might be the best time to add protection against the fast-spreading virus.
At that time, Fitzgerald continued, there may even be new vaccines that target the Omicron variant.
Watch the full briefing from July 13:
“The timing of your second booster is a choice only you should make. It’s not always easy, and I encourage you to consult reliable sources of information when making a decision and discuss it with your healthcare provider,” she said.
Recommendations for fourth vaccine doses came from Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization earlier this month as officials hope to limit the spread of the virus in the fall.
Fitzgerald’s announcement comes a day after New Brunswick changed its vaccination guidelines to allow anyone over 18 to get a second booster dose as long as five months have passed since the third dose.
The change was made due to the emergence of BA.5, which had overtaken Omicron as the dominant strain of the virus in provinces such as New Brunswick and Ontario.
Because the new variant is more portable, Fitzgerald said, public health wants to keep the increase in new cases and hospitalizations as low as possible.
She said she had increased the use of masks as a way to slow the spread, but added that there was no talk of masks becoming mandatory again.
“I know it’s been a long two years and we’re all very tired of COVID and we still have to stay vigilant and do what we can to live with COVID-19,” Fitzgerald said.
“Vaccination is crucial in this regard. It’s important to get every dose of vaccine you’re eligible for, even if you’ve already had a COVID-19 infection. You must be recovered and symptom-free at the time of the vaccine appointment. “
Weekly update
Meanwhile, the province reported four new deaths in the week following the latest pandemic update.
Two people were 80 or older, and two were in their 60s. Three were in the Eastern Health Region and one was in the Western Health Region.
The province also reported 388 new cases in the past week: 77 on Thursday, 70 on Friday, 77 on Saturday, 24 on Sunday, 13 on Monday, 59 on Tuesday and 68 on Wednesday.
However, these numbers are not a true reflection of the spread of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador, as the Ministry of Health has limited the tests administered by the province’s health authorities and no longer updates data on how many tests have been completed.
Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Add Comment