There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that Ontarians receive a third vaccine against COVID-19, says the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 scientific advisory board, as the discussion begins to escalate around the fourth dose.
“While much of the conversation right now is around the fourth dose, for me scientifically the clearest opportunity, what we should do, and it’s not a matter of availability, the vaccine is available to us , is this third dose “. Dr. Fahad Razak told CP24 on Monday.
His comments come when opposition parties in Ontario are calling for a fourth dose to be extended to the province, as Quebec has now done, before a possible fall wave.
Currently, in Ontario the third dose is recommended for all over 12s, while the fourth dose is offered to those 60 years of age or older, as well as those 18 years of age or older who are First Nation, Inuit. the mestizo.
But according to the latest vaccination data released by the province, only 57% of those over the age of 12 have received a third dose, despite widespread availability in the province.
“This third dose, is the dose that clearly offers you greater protection not only against infection, but also against serious diseases. And serious illness is what matters most to us,” Razak said. “So right now there are a large number of people in Ontario who are eligible for this third dose who have not received it.”
Ontario began distributing third doses in November and extended eligibility to anyone 18 years of age or older in late December. However, the absorption of the third dose was disappointing and onttarians have been slow to receive the vaccine.
While some people have indicated they do not want to receive more than the first two doses initially prescribed, Razak said advice on how many injections are needed has changed as the pandemic has progressed and the virus has changed.
“The virus has proven to be a really terrible adversary for us,” Razak said. “And it has mutated to the point that what is currently circulating in Ontario, Canada and the world is almost unrecognizable compared to what we originally saw and against what we developed vaccines.
“And so you have these growing rounds of vaccination because we’re doing our best to protect ourselves from a mutant virus.”
However, he added that newer vaccines are promising to offer better protection against the latest strains of the virus.
“What will happen in the future is really unclear. One of the things that is very promising is the vaccines that are adapting and developing against what is circulating now, unlike what was two years ago when the virus emerged. for the first time in China, ”Razak said. “And so there is hope that these new generations of vaccines, especially, will give us more lasting protection.”
He said that in the meantime, and especially in the autumn, when there will be other circulatory respiratory diseases, it makes sense to get the vaccinations for which you are eligible and continue to think about masking yourself in high-risk environments to avoid the infection.