It remains unclear whether Ontario will extend access to all adults — as in Quebec — or to health workers and others who are vulnerable.
There have been growing calls for the province to do so. But it remains unclear whether access will be expanded to include all adults — as in Quebec — or to health workers and others who are highly vulnerable.
The current wave, driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 Omicron subvariant, hit Ontario just as hospitals were facing crisis-level staff shortages and some have been forced to close emergency departments. COVID-19 outbreaks in hospitals have the potential to worsen the crisis.Article contentOttawa physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth says there is no reason not to offer second booster doses to the general population.
The now-dominant BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is the most contagious yet and is more likely to evade past immunity by reinfecting people who had COVID-19 just weeks earlier, in some cases. Halifax-based infectious disease specialist Dr. Lisa Barrett argued on Twitter that there was an “excellent immunological rationale” to wait until early fall for an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine, especially for people under 65 who do not have an additional reason for an extra dose.Article content
The bivalent is a vaccine under development that includes specific protection against the Omicron variant.Article content With hospitals already under extraordinary pressure, even a small bump in COVID cases could make things difficult this summer. In Ottawa, hospitalizations and outbreaks, including in hospitals, are rising.
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