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.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is ditching vaccine passports, mandatory face mask rules and work-from-home regulations – and will instead rely mainly on vaccinations to get the country through the winter months.
The strategy centred largely on expanding vaccinations to younger teenagers and launching a booster shot program for front-line health care staff and people over the age of 50.
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Alberta’s intensive-care units are nursing a record number of patients ill with the coronavirus, and physicians are warning the province’s health system could fail within four weeks.
There were 209 patients with COVID-19 in Alberta’s ICUs as of Monday afternoon, according to Alberta Health Services’ internal data, obtained by The Globe and Mail.
The province is cancelling surgeries and procedures to free up the equipment, space and health professionals needed to care for this surge of patients, most of whom are not immunized against the virus.
Two of Netflix’s most-prized 2021 festival movies have leaked online after debuting as part of the at-home digital offerings of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Jane Campion’s drama “The Power of the Dog,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and the Antoine Fuqua thriller “The Guilty,” led by Jake Gyllenhaal, both appeared on pirate websites as of early Monday.
O’Toole spent the first 18 minutes of a news conference reading from prepared remarks that referenced the Liberal Leader’s former “partying” days, the SNC-Lavalin scandal and Trudeau’s disputes with prominent women in his caucus.