Health minister expects guidance soon on possible fourth vaccine doses

Article content material
The provincial authorities and public well being officers are awaiting recommendation on who ought to obtain a fourth dose of COVID vaccine, as proof mounts of a doable sixth wave of an infection.
Article content material
Nonetheless, one physician says there is no such thing as a overwhelming proof a second booster is required on a mass scale.
“Would a fourth dose be useful?” requested infectious illness specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch of the College Well being Community.
“It’s under no circumstances a slam dunk that that is an efficient intervention. However, sure, it’s in all probability useful for sure at-risk individuals.”
Up to now, slightly below 123,000 Ontarians have already obtained a fourth shot, in keeping with Well being Canada knowledge as much as March 20.
That compares to the slightly below 7.2 million Ontarians who’ve obtained their third shot, as of Wednesday, Well being Canada knowledge exhibits.
Most of these with a fourth shot reside in long-term care amenities, or those that are immuno-compromised.
Precedence teams are residents of long-term care, retirement houses, elder care lodges, and older adults residing in different congregate setting.
Article content material
Well being Minister Christine Elliot says she is anticipating the Nationwide Advisory Committee on Immunization to quickly launch steerage on fourth doses.
Elliott mentioned she expects the recommendation will centre on what age teams ought to obtain it.
With hospitalizations edging up and waste-water knowledge displaying proof of rising circumstances, there are issues Ontario is in to the early phases of a sixth wave.
“A number of fashions counsel this might be a smaller wave than the wave that we simply had. Clearly that’s an excellent factor,” mentioned Dr. Bogoch.
“However alternatively, whatever the measurement of the wave, we all know there are at-risk people and at-risk populations which can be disproportionately impacted by COVID,” he mentioned.
Earlier this week, U.S. regulators authorized a fourth dose for People 50 and older if it’s been at the least 4 months since their final vaccination.