British Columbia health officials have not yet decided whether the fourth dose of vaccine will be given to the general population, as immunity to COVID-19 is declining and future, more portable options are emerging.
The BA2 Omicron sub-option has already triggered a sixth wave amid BC’s relaxed public health measures, and limited data reporting and testing makes it difficult to track.
The British Columbia Centers for Disease Control now provides new statistics on a weekly basis, and PCR testing of COVID-19 is strictly limited to those at high risk, instead encouraging the use of rapid home tests for the general population.
In the last week, according to the province’s latest pandemic report on May 12, another 59 people died after testing positive for COVID-19. There are currently 596 people in hospital, including 54 in intensive care.
And with lower levels of third booster uptake, experts say a steady campaign for a fourth dose will be key to weathering future options without BC having to reintroduce major safeguards – such as mandatory camouflage and a vaccine cards – observed during the first waves of the pandemic.
The National Immunization Advisory Committee recommends fourth vaccines or a second booster for those over 70, indigenous people over 55, people living in long-term care and supported living, and those considered clinically extremely vulnerable. All of these people are currently eligible for the fourth dose of the vaccine in British Columbia
“There is really good protection with three doses for most people, up to the age of 80, but especially up to the age of 70,” said British Columbia Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry during a COVID-19 update. May 10. “Here we are focused on this fourth dose.”
Other provinces are moving faster to the fourth dose, as immunity from booster vaccines and previous infection decreases within three to four months. In Quebec, all adults are now eligible for a fourth vaccination, and Ontario has reduced the age limit to 60.
NACI has not yet recommended fourth vaccines for the general population under 60 years of age.
Henry said Tuesday that he is still reviewing the evidence, but adults may be offered a fourth injection by the fall.
“We still don’t know if we will all need another dose of vaccine in the fall or if protection from the three doses will carry most of us,” Henry said.
“We need to find that balance if you need it and how long the defense will last.”
But whether British Colombians will be willing to roll up their sleeves for the fourth time to significantly boost the community’s immunity remains to be seen.
Only 61% of eligible residents over the age of 18 received their first booster vaccine, compared with more than 88% of eligible people who received two vaccines.
So far, just over 78,000 people have received a fourth injection in BC, less than 10 percent of eligible people.
Studies have shown that three doses of vaccine are essential for protection against the Omicron variant and its sub-variants, and receiving this first booster injection provides significantly greater protection against hospitalization and serious illness than two initial doses of vaccine.
According to Dr. Brian Conway, medical director at the Center for Infectious Diseases in Vancouver, low booster absorption may be partly due to pandemic fatigue, but it is also a matter of communication and credibility.
“We haven’t done a good enough job to make people realize that with Omicron you need three shots,” Conway said.
It was not initially known that immunity from COVID-19 vaccines would decline for several months. But as evidence and understanding have changed in support of getting at least one booster, some people may have been misled by initial claims that it was a two-dose vaccine.
“We didn’t know the truth at the time,” Conway said. “And we haven’t done a good enough job of explaining the options [and] explaining the declining efficiency. ”
Conway added that while relaxed protective measures could signal a lower risk, vaccination is the basis for reducing one’s own risk to oneself and others.
British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix said public health was working to increase booster absorption and vaccinations among school-age youth, which had stopped at around 55 per cent. Children are still at risk of severe consequences and the development of prolonged COVID as a result of infection.
Conway said increasing the rate of third doses should be a priority while reviewing the evidence around fourth doses. Too much focus on whether or not everyone may need to harm the vaccine, he added.
“I think we’re moving slowly towards everyone who gets a fourth dose,” Conway said.
“And if we finish … with everyone east of the Alberta-British Columbia border, we get fourth shots, then we can talk a little more urgently.”
TITLE:
Add Comment