Some doctors are calling on Ontario to allow all adults to get a second booster of a COVID-19 vaccine this summer, which currently limits the province to just a portion of the population.
About 7.4 million Ontarians have received a boost, and nearly 90 percent of those injections were given at least five months ago, according to Ontario Public Health Data.
Studies have shown that COVID-19 boosters begin to lose some effectiveness four months after they are administered, prompting Ontario to expand eligibility for a second boost, equivalent to a fourth dose of vaccine.
“We know that the protection provided by these vaccines has been effective in reducing serious illness and death, but it is waning,” said Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, a family physician in Ottawa.
Ontario currently limits the fourth dose to people over the age of 60, as well as adults of any age who are Indigenous, living in long-term care, or immunocompromised. About 1.4 million people meet the requirements, so approximately six million people who had a booster last winter cannot receive another vaccine now.
CBC News asked the Ministry of Health last week how many doses of vaccine Ontario currently has in stock, but officials did not respond.
Next to Quebec, all adults he was eligible for the fourth dose in May.
Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, a family physician in Ottawa, says the province should expand eligibility for booster injections to children under 60 in Ontario. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)
The National Immunization Advisory Committee (NACI) he said last week that the provinces should offer a booster vaccine this fall to all people at high risk for COVID-19 infection, regardless of how many booster shots they have previously received.
This recommendation applies to all people aged 65 and over. The NACI said people between the ages of 12 and 64 “can be offered” additional doses in the fall.
There are no indications that Ontario plans to change its eligibility policy for the fourth dose this summer.
“We are reviewing the latest NACI guidelines and will provide details for the fall booster injections over the next few weeks,” a Health Ministry spokesman said in an email to CBC News.
This does not satisfy Kaplan-Myrth.
“Ontario is saying,‘ Wait, we’ll give you something in the fall. ’But that’s not good enough when it’s time for people to have reinforcements now,” he said in an interview with CBC News.
Ontario Ministry of Health officials say details for the fall booster injections will be provided in the coming weeks, but give no indication that eligibility for the fourth dose will be expanded over the summer. (Evan Mitsui / CBC)
Dr. Steve Flindall, an emergency physician in the Greater Toronto Area, also advocates for the province to open up additional reinforcement to all adults.
“The time to offer fourth doses to avoid more problems in the future is now,” Flindall told CBC News.
He said he is concerned that a longer distance between reinforcements would mean people would mount a less robust immune response.
“This leaves many vulnerable people exposed to serious illnesses, not to mention the low staffing levels of health workers,” Flindall said.
He and Kaplan-Myrth point out that people under the age of 60 who are not eligible for a fourth dose are currently more vulnerable to COVID-19 than older people because they are in the workforce, with whom they have jobs. top-of-the-line essentials to the fullest. risk.
Sylvia Jones was sworn in as Ontario’s deputy prime minister and health minister late last month. (Evan Mitsui / CBC)
“It’s actually inconceivable to expect doctors, nurses and other health care workers to be in a situation where we no longer have protection,” Kaplan-Myrth said.
She believes much of the current vaccine supply will pass its expiration date before the fall.
“We’re probably talking about tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of doses that will just go in the trash,” he said.
“There is no medical justification for withholding vaccines. It’s a waste to say no.”