“Should I get a third dose?”
That’s the question Kelly Grindrod said she gets the most when walking through her neighbourhood.
And the answer is always "yes."
During Friday’s media briefing on the local COVID situation, the University of Waterloo school of pharmacy professor said the long-term data on the third dose of either the Pfizer of Moderna vaccines prove it prolongs immunity from severe outcomes of the disease.
“We’re anticipating this is probably a three-dose vaccine,” she said.
“This isn’t necessarily a surprise that there’s a third dose. We have lots of three-dose vaccinations. Hepatitis is one of the big ones that we think of.”
Grindrod explained that protection from almost all symptomatic infection builds to its peak two weeks after the second dose and lasts several months before antibodies return to a normal level.
When that happens, as with all vaccines, susceptibility to symptomatic illness increases, but not for severe illness, Grindrod said.
Most people who had their second dose six months ago or longer are still well protected from the virus and serious outcomes.
“What we’re seeing is, even months later, we seem to be retaining that really good protection against severe illness and hospitalization.”
Earlier this month, Health Canada gave regulatory approval for a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 18 and over.
Third doses are available to anyone 70 and older, First Nations, Metis and Inuit adults, healthcare workers, caregivers and anyone who has received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Anyone booking a third shot must be 168 days from their second dose.
Third doses can be booked by visiting www.regionofwaterloo.ca/getavaccine.
A link to the Vaccine Hunters of Canada’s Dose Date Calculator is also now on the region’s website to help residents figure out when they can get a third dose.
Grindrod said, although it's inevitable everyone will be eligible at some point, governments are still waiting for the National Advisory Committee on Immunization to tell them which groups they recommend for the third dose booster.
In the meantime, everyone who's had two doses is still considered fully vaccinated and will be for the foreseeable future.
A third dose won’t be required any time soon for travel or to gain entry in businesses where proof of vaccination is required.
Regardless, she urges everyone to get the booster shot as soon as they become eligible.
“If people are eligible now, we’re really hoping they go in as soon as they’re eligible because we’re really excited about the kids vaccine doses coming up and we want to make sure there’s lots of room for kids and their families to come in,” she said.
Vaccine distribution task force lead Vickie Murray cautioned that even though capacity at the clinics is there now, that will change as more people become eligible for third doses and children’s doses are approved.
“It may become more challenging to get an appointment,” she said.
With the push on to get third doses in arms and children’s doses on the horizon, the local effort continues on first and second doses for an estimated 42,000 Waterloo region residents.
Murray, said as of Friday, 91.55 per cent of eligible residents over the age of 12 have received a first dose and 88.59 per cent are fully vaccinated.
To get to 90 per cent of eligible residents fully vaccinated, the region needs to give 7,139 second doses.
So far the region has administered 11,683 third doses.
To meet anticipated demand, on Nov. 3 the region ramped up its vaccine clinics, adding additional days and hours to the Pinebush Road clinic and making appointments available at all three clinics, including the Boardwalk and Wellesley clinics.
“They’re functioning very smoothly and have capacity to handle the volume of third doses that became eligible last week,” Murray said.
All of the clinics continue to accept first-dose walk ins.
Preparing for children's vaccinations
In preparation for the 5 to 11-year-old vaccine rollout, the region has launched a page on its website dedicated to providing information to parents.
Murray said the site will soon have three short videos with information for parents and children.
One will offer advice from a local pharmacist and a public health nurse on how to prepare your children for vaccination. A second video will feature a local pediatrician offering advice on why parents should get their children vaccinated, and the third video will be a short tour of the Pinebush vaccine clinic highlighting the changes being made to make it child friendly.
“Our goal is to support people’s needs by providing as much information as possible,” Murray said.
All staff have received additional training with tips on vaccinating young children.
The region is also working with the school boards on plans for parent town hall information sessions.
Another 'every dose counts weekend' specific to vaccinating children will also be coming to Pinebush once final approval for eligibility comes into effect.
Murray says their intent is to provide first doses to up to 6,000 children at the Pinebush clinic alone that weekend, all in a “supportive, positive environment.”
Pharmacies, other clinics and primary care physicians will also be able to provide children’s vaccine doses that weekend.
Appointments will be required for children at all regional vaccine clinics in order to safely and efficiently manage the volume of people coming to the clinics, she said.
