People in Ontario have conflicting feelings about the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
A recent survey published by the Angus Reid Institute found that approximately one in five vaccinated Ontarians say they will not receive the second booster.
While 62% of respondents said they would get it, another 20% remain undecided. Another 18 percent said they had no intention of receiving a booster.
As for when Ontario residents want to see this photo available, 61% said they wanted to enlarge it to those over 18 “as soon as possible,” while another 20% said no. you have to do it / you don’t have to do it “. that. ” The remaining 19 percent of respondents said they want the fourth vaccine to be started in the fall or winter.
Despite this hesitation in the fourth dose, nearly 70 percent of people surveyed by Angus Reid in Ontario said they are willing to receive reinforcement each year “for as long as is recommended.” Just under 30 percent said the opposite.
A similar number of Ontarians said they believe keeping up with vaccines is an effective way to fight serious illness or death, compared to just 18% of people who disagreed.
Last week, Ontario’s official health doctor, Dr. Kieran Moore, announced that eligibility for the fourth dose would be extended to all over-18s.
People can get the second booster vaccine five months or 140 days after the last injection and if the last COVID-19 infection was at least three months ago (84 days).
Moore urged those 18 to 59 years old who have “underlying illnesses” such as diabetes or heart disease to receive the vaccine.
But he advised everyone else with “persistent and powerful immunity” to linger for now and wait for Omicron-specific bivalent vaccines, which are expected to arrive in Canada in the fall.
Moore, however, suggested that health care workers and people working in crowded settings should receive a fourth dose even if they do not have any underlying illness.
Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical director of health, strongly encourages all eligible Torontonians to receive a fourth COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible, regardless of Moore’s advice.
“Keeping up to date with your immunization is the best way to make sure that you, your loved ones, and your community are protected from the virus and its variants,” he said, noting that people with a third dose had the lowest hospitalization rate during previous waves. .
“While the third dose provides good protection against COVID-19, the fourth dose provides even better protection.”
Ottawa doctor Nili Kaplan-Myrth is also a staunch supporter of the fourth shot and was willing to sue the province if it was not offered to all adults as soon as possible.
“If it gives you a little extra protection and you know you won’t get your (bivalent) vaccine until November, why wouldn’t we want people to have their reinforcements instead of waiting while that wave rises,” Kaplan said. Myrth told CP24 last week.
“It was ridiculous for Ontario to tell us we couldn’t give the vaccine. (Adults under the age of 60) should be eligible and now they are.”
The Angus Reid survey is based on a random sample of 1,583 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. It took place between July 13 and 15, following Moore’s announcement. A probability sample of this size typically has a margin of error of about two percentage points, 19 times 20.
-with files by Chris Herhalt