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
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.