With the Delta variant dominant across Canada and cold weather approaching, scientists & health authorities have turned their attention to the question of who may need a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine – and when.
NACI recommends immunocompromised people 12 and older – who have not yet been immunized – should receive 3 doses of a mRNA vaccine. Those in this group who have been vaccinated should be offered an third dose.
Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have already been offering additional doses – not only to the immunocompromised but also to people travelling to countries that do not currently recognize their primary vaccine series.
Israel was the first country to broadly offer third shots. A number of European countries have followed suit, including Hungary, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Sweden.
What does science say about the need for a third dose?
While experts says that booster shots may eventually be required, they say it’s too soon to pursue – while it’s clear the world would benefit far more from getting those doses to the unvaccinated.
Data continues to show the benefits of vaccination now that the Delta variant is the principal driver of the pandemic in North America. Vaccines are still very effective against severe disease and death.
WHO's director-general has called for a moratorium on booster shots until the end of the year, saying that while some at-risk populations may require them, healthy vaccinated people should not be receiving boosters.
If the immunity afforded by vaccines indeed begins to wane after several months, then a booster shot may become advisable for vaccinated Canadians by that time.
It has been nothing short of horrific. This demon virus chokes me in my sleep and there are days I can’t get out of bed. It has taken more from me than one virus should be able to. My life will never be the same.
- Natalie, 41, Fort Nelson, B.C.
I am a mother of a 20-month-old girl and I have issues holding her in my arms while standing. I don’t always have the energy to play with her.
- Sandy Choiniere, 34, Blainville, Que.
🏆 Every acceptance speech for Everything Everywhere All at Once. The biggest emotional moment of the evening arrived early, when Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor for his role in the multiverse comedy.
A former senior executive at St. Michael’s Hospital and the former president of an Ontario construction company have been charged as part of a long-standing criminal probe into corruption at one Canada’s premier healthcare facilities: theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
Vas Georgiou, the former chief administrative officer at St. Michael’s, and John Aquino, the former president of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., voluntarily surrendered to police on Tuesday. theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
The cases against both men, which involve allegations of collusion and kickbacks, date back to 2015, when Bondfield was selected as the winning bidder to redevelop the aging hospital. theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…
The rate of sexual-assault complaints that police reject as “unfounded” has dropped by more than half since a Globe and Mail investigation put a spotlight on the issue five years ago.
Today, 8 per cent of sexual assaults reported to police are being closed as unfounded, a law-enforcement term that means the allegation is false or baseless.
This is down from the 19-per-cent rate that The Globe reported in its 2017 Unfounded series.
Back in 2017, the Halton Regional Police Service had one of the worst unfounded rates in Canada. Now, the Halton police have among the lowest in Canada.