Pressure growing to change B.C. COVID-19 booster strategy amid Omicron uncertainty
With Alberta announcing adults over age 60 can start booking a COVID-19 booster shot – and Ontario expected to announce a similar move for those over 50 on Thursday – pressure is mounting on B.C. health officials to do the same as concerns over the Omicron variant continue to grow.
While it’s not yet clear if Omicron is more contagious or deadly than Delta, governments around the world have started restricting international travel from some African countries and booster doses are being fast-tracked in many places.
On Tuesday, B.C.’s provincial health officer credited booster shots with helping reduce COVID-19 in hospitals, but was lukewarm to the idea of expanding their availability beyond the current access for those who are six months past their second dose and over 70, health-care workers, the immunocompromised and anyone with dual AstraZeneca doses. Everyone else will be eligible starting in January, six to eight months after their second dose.
"I don't think it'll change, but everything is new; we are looking at the information that's coming around Omicron," said Dr. Bonnie Henry, noting she’s awaiting new guidelines that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization is expected to release this week.
EXPERTS URGE PROACTIVE APPROACH TO OMICRON
One of the country’s most prominent epidemiologists has urged the province to take a more proactive approach. Speaking at a weekly webinar organized by a grassroots B.C. advocacy group – which is pushing for the use of rapid tests and eduation about airborne transmission of COVID-19 – Dr. David Fisman said he doesn’t think B.C. is doing “as well as it might.”
Fisman, a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, said while the jury is still out on whether Omicron is more dangerous than Delta, a proactive approach is preferable. When CTV News asked how much more contagious it would have to be to cause problems and potentially trigger a fifth wave, Fisman said it wouldn’t have to be much.
“There’s a lot of different moving parts going on … some estimates are 10 to 25 per cent more infective per day,” he said. “That can put you back into epidemic growth because these relatively small percentages – it’s like compound interest, it can really rev up growth a lot. So, it is a worry, and clearly I'm not the only one who thinks so because I'm not the one who shut down the flights out of different countries."
Fisman highlighted that Israel began fast-tracking third-dose boosters amidst surging cases and found considerable success in doing so.
“We don't have to wait to have a disaster and then react," he said. “We have (vaccine doses) in the country and they’re going in the garbage can.”
A RISKY TIME OF YEAR, EVEN IF OMICRON ISN’T WORSE
Henry acknowledged that even if the best-case scenario plays out and Omicron is no worse than the Delta strain of COVID-19, the winter is a risky time.
“The days are darker and colder and shorter and we’re spending more time indoors where this virus continues to spread more easily,” she warned.
And while Henry has been reluctant to use the words “airborne” or “aerosol” in her descriptions of how COVID-19 spreads, Fisman has made it his mission to educate the public about the risks.
“Everybody can understand aerosol; it’s Canada so we can see our breaths 5 months of the year, so if you tell us that’s how this spreads, people can fill in the gaps in terms of how they should behave in different settings,” said Fisman, who also criticized B.C. public health officials’ secrecy around outbreaks.
“People have no ability to use available tools to protect themselves if they’re kept ignorant of risk.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Millions of cyberattacks per hour as B.C. government investigates multiple breaches
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
New 'Lord of the Rings' film coming in 2026
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.