Health professional expects another COVID-19 vaccine dose available in fall
The New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association says about 9,400 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were given at pharmacies in the province last week, and around one third were second booster shots.
"We do have a lot of patients coming in," says Alistair Bursey, pharmacy owner and pharmacist, "I would say we’re probably doing on our big clinic days close to a hundred people, and that’s once a week …throughout the week, I’d say about 20 to 25 patients a day."
It has been about two weeks since New Brunswick expanded eligibility for boosters – allowing residents over the age of 50, as long as it has been at least five months since their last dose.
It’s also been said that anyone who has been recently infected with the virus should wait three months before getting their fourth shot.
"I think the way it was staggered, there’s a lot of patients we vaccinated at the end of December, and also in January," says Bursey, "so that means we’re going to have a lot in May I suspect."
As for why it’s important to get it when possible, one infectious disease specialist describes the fourth dose as a 'stop-gap' with the BA. 2 variant.
"Because of the two conflicting problems, an increase in variants and a decrease in antibodies, that is why we need to have this second booster now," says Dr. Donald Vinh.
He also says another dose could be needed around the fall as it’s expected another variant may emerge.
"That dose that we’re going to get in the fall, is not likely going to be the same dose that we’ve been using for the last year and a half, two years," says Dr. Vinh.
"The current vaccines that are in development are actually much more promising because they don’t contain just the original strain – they contain combinations, combinations of variants."
Dr. Vinh describes it as more of a 'cocktail' which could mean an antibody response that doesn’t decline as quickly as previous vaccines.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim downing U.S. Reaper drone, release footage showing wreckage of aircraft
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.