Planning is underway for vaccination clinics in our region as the province anticipates a higher uptake for booster doses in the fall.
Acting Director for COVID-19, Jessie Johal said this has to do with the Omicron-targeted bivalent booster.
"[The Ministry of Health] is anticipating that there will be higher demand with this booster dose, just looking at some of the other metrics that we have available in the last few months," she said during a Board of Health Meeting on Wednesday.
"As such, we are planning for different types of mobile clinics, community-focused clinics, as well as mass-immunization clinics."
Further details will be released.
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hsui-Li Wang is recommending residents stay up to date with their recommended number of booster doses, as opposed to just getting two doses.
"So that strong protection against severe outcomes can remain. Protection against infection does get boosted everytime you do get a booster, but then goes down a bit quicker than protection against severe outcomes. I think we can expect that to decrease over time," she said.
While the peak of the seventh COVID wave has passed, Dr. Wang pointed out the decline has been "very slow."
"Our wastewater signals, along with outbreak and hospitalization data, indicate that COVID-19 continues to circulate at an elevated level in our community," she said.
At the same time, vaccine and booster doses have helped.
"Our community has much greater levels of immunity against severe outcomes than it did two years ago, which has helped reduce severity and deaths," Dr. Wang said.
She also noted that waves of COVID-19 continue to present risk to the community.
"Especially in the context of a fatigued or decreased workforce, not least of which is the healthcare sector," Dr. Wang said.
"The best strategy is to get vaccinated and boosted with the recommended number of doses for them, and to add on additional layers of protection when there is an elevated level of COVID-19 circulating."
This includes masking in confined and crowded places, optimizing indoor air ventilation, and spending more time outdoors.
Last month, the province expanded eligibility for second boosters to all adults over 18, as well as to 12 to 17 year-olds who are immunocompromised.
So far, 75,000 of those doses have been given out in the region.
Ontario also released a series of pediatric doses for kids six months to under five.
Around 1,700 of those doses have been given out in the region.
Along with planning for vaccination clinics in the fall, the region continues to offer vaccines at fixed sites, which include 99 Regina Street South in Waterloo and 30 Christopher Drive in Cambridge.
"We are also having mobile clinic sites in our townships, municipalities, and hard to reach neighbourhoods to promote access," said Johal.
