Waiting for a booster: Why some Maritimers don’t have the third shot yet
There’s been steady traffic at Greg Richard’s Halifax pharmacy, where he is keeping busy with back-to-back COVID-19 booster appointments.
“We've been full tilt, every day, all day,” says Richard.
The pharmacist says he hasn’t encountered much reluctance in those rolling up their sleeves.
“Most people I think have already made their mind up,” he says. “But obviously we're always here to talk and work through the process if people are struggling with the decision of whether to get a booster or not.”
Sharon Johnson and Keith Swindells both received their third COVID-19 vaccine dose from Richard on Monday.
Johnson had previously booked her appointment, but Swindells wasn’t expecting he’d get his as well.
“We had to go get tested (for COVID) and I didn't get the results back in time, so I had to cancel (a previous appointment),” explains Swindells. “So I talked to this gentleman, and he said, ‘If you can wait around today, I can give you one today’.”
So, that’s what Swindells did.
For them, it’s an important part of trying to stay safe during the Omicron wave.
“I am now 75 and I have three 40-year-old children who have given me (young) grandchildren, so for me it's important,” says Johnson.
Forty-three per cent of eligible Nova Scotians have received a third dose. In New Brunswick, 38.7 per cent have their booster.On Prince Edward Island that figure is 28 per cent.
John Morris is one Islander who hasn’t had his booster yet.
“My vaccines are a tad behind everybody else,” says Morris.
He waited for his first round of vaccines in order to let others go first.
“Not because I don't believe in them; it's just that I did not want to be first, because I did not feel that I needed to take up a spot from someone that has an actual need for it,” explains Morris.
It means he had to wait the recommended period between doses.
His booster is now booked for Wednesday.
In Cole Harbour, N.S., Carol Bernardo is still trying to get her appointment booked. She is feeling frustrated after things filled up quickly when she last tried about 10 days ago.
“I didn't try today because I kind of gave up a little bit,” she says.
Bernardo also blames difficulties in getting the Nova Scotia booking site to recognize her address. At one point, an appointment at a nearby pharmacy she was in the process of making was gone by the time she sorted it all out.
“And I tried six or seven times and it told me the same thing every time and I did everything I could,” she adds.
When told the booking site had more appointments available Monday, Bernardo said she would try again.
“Given what we know, the safest thing is for everyone to get a third dose,” says Dr. Joanne Langley of the Canadian Center for Vaccinology.
Langley is the lead investigator among researchers across the country, studying the impact of a third mRNA dose on immunity in those with the same types of vaccine for their previous doses. That study is ongoing.
She says anyone hesitant to get a third shot should know how much it ups immunity, with an 80 – 90 per cent boost in protection against hospitalization.
“The third dose seems to increase your immune response enough to reduce the frequency at which people are needing to get health care, and get admitted to hospital,” explains Langley.
“What we found, especially as Omicron started to circulate, is that the infectiousness was so high that so many people got infected at the same time that the percentage of the population that got seriously ill was smaller, but because it transmitted so quickly, a lot of people were needing to go to hospital at once.”
Langley says any serious reported adverse effects are rare. She says myocarditis and pericarditis -- types of heart inflammation -- are examples.
“That’s why in Canada we’re providing a longer interval between the first and the second dose in young people and avoiding, in people 29 and under, the Moderna vaccine,” she says.
As for anyone who is suffering from COVID-19 symptoms, or has tested positive, pharmacist Greg Richard says those people can get a booster after their isolation is complete and any symptoms are gone.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.