About 80 percent of people in Windsor-Essex have received at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but only 46 percent have received the recommended third dose. Both figures are slightly below the provincial averages. On Wednesday, Ontario’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kieran Moore, said the province is now in a seventh wave of COVID-19 driven largely by Omicron’s BA.5 sub-variant. However, he expects it to be a smaller wave than what Ontario saw with the main Omicron variant. “I’m very pleased that it hasn’t had a major impact on our health system and that we’re absolutely able to cope with today’s numbers,” Dr Moore said. “It’s going to get a little bit worse over the next week or 10 days and then taper off.” Ontario currently limits fourth doses to people over 60, as well as adults of any age who are aboriginal, live in long-term care or are immunocompromised. WATCHES | Ontario’s top doctor confirms 7th wave of COVID-19 has begun:
Ontario’s top doctor confirms the 7th wave of COVID-19 has begun
According to the province’s top doctor, 66 percent of the new strains circulating are now the BA.5 strain, leading to an increase in positive tests and hospitalizations. But with low third-dose uptake in Windsor-Essex, it’s unclear whether residents could quickly stay in line for a fourth. Stephanie Tapak said she would get her fourth dose when it becomes available to everyone in the province. “I believe in vaccines,” he said. “I believe in science and I think it’s not going to hurt anyone. So why not make that effort to protect your loved ones?” Not everyone feels that way, though. “I probably wouldn’t,” Bailey Mosure said. “I think I’m fine with two [doses].” Windsor-Essex is lagging behind the provincial number in terms of uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. (CBC) A biostatistician said the province got the traffic and messaging wrong when it comes to third doses. “When we opened the third installment [it] it was about four weeks after Omicron came out,” said Ryan Imgrund. “Because of that, we didn’t get that information out to people properly. At the same time, we were also dealing with nursing issues. And it’s much harder to mobilize vaccination units when you also have hospitalization problems because of the Omicron variant.” Imgrund, along with other experts, believes the province needs to push the fourth installment as soon as possible. “What I wouldn’t like to see is just wait until the fall, see the numbers continue to rise, and then start vaccinating when we see the hospitalization numbers already going up,” Imgrund said. “It will be really, really hard to mobilize vaccination units at that time.” The CBC reached out to the Department of Health to ask if they were considering opening up eligibility for a fourth dose or if they had the capacity to stock and administer the vaccines, but did not receive a response. CBC also contacted the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit about the fourth doses. In an emailed statement, the health unit said it will continue to follow guidelines from the province regarding eligibility and timings for the COVID-19 vaccine dose and encourages people to stay up-to-date with all their vaccinations , not just COVID-19 Shots. The province of Quebec has made available a fourth dose of COVID-19 for its citizens, but Ontario has yet to make that decision. Despite the lack of a fourth installment in Ontario, some believe the option should be available. “If the others want it [get the fourth dose]I think the choice should be there,” Mosure said.
