HURON-PERTH – With the provincial government opening up eligibility of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots (third doses) to all residents over the age of 18 and the rising number of cases due to the Omicron variant, some members of the population have actively expressed their frustration, confusion and anger over vaccines, specifically their effectiveness.
Dr. Miriam Klassen, medical officer of health for Huron-Perth, said in an interview with Midwestern Newspapers that no vaccine is 100 per cent effective, but it doesn’t mean the vaccine isn’t working.
“It’s important to remember that the vaccines are not 100 per cent effective. You do expect some vaccinated individuals to contract COVID-19, we’ve seen that all along. No vaccine that I know of is 100 per cent effective,” she said.
Klassen explained that different viruses behave differently in terms of immunity.
“There are some infections that we get either naturally or immunized against where you get lifelong protection if you recover from the infection or you get the vaccine series. An example of that is hepatitis B. Then there are other infections where it doesn’t work that way, and you need to have boosters. An example of that is influenza,” she said.
Prior to COVID-19, Klassen said there were “seasonal coronaviruses” that caused colds and outbreaks in some long-term care homes. She said the immunity following infection with those viruses was estimated to be somewhere between six months to two years.
“COVID is very new and we don’t yet know how long to expect immunity from a natural infection. As a new variant arrives, we continue to learn,” said Klassen.
One of the issues raised by some on social media is the number of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 that are fully vaccinated, which at this time means having received two doses of a vaccine.
Klassen acknowledged that there are many fully- vaccinated people testing positive, however “the denominators are vastly different.”
On Dec. 20, Ontario reported 3,784 new cases of COVID-19. Of those, 2,781 were in fully-vaccinated individuals and 1,003 were in individuals who are partially vaccinated, not vaccinated or vaccination status unknown. There are currently 284 people in Ontario hospitalized with COVID-19, and 164 are in the ICU.
“But those in the vaccinated, we’re talking about 11.3 million people [fully vaccinated Ontarians], whereas the number of unvaccinated is about two million people,” she said. “The proportion of people who get infected is definitely much lower in vaccinated people.”
Klassen stated that while the vaccine may be less effective at protecting against infection, it’s very effective in protecting against severe infection – infections that lead to hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death.
“Up until Omicron, we can tell you that the rate of getting an infection was about five to six times lower in vaccinated people, and the rate of hospitalization was 15 times higher in unvaccinated people and the rate of ICU admission was 24-25 times higher,” she said.
“It’s definitely better to have two doses than none, but three doses are better. Again, we see the same pattern where people are going to get infected, but are less likely to be hospitalized or have a severe outcome. These data are still new, but that is what we’re seeing so far.”
Klassen also addressed the online chatter about Omicron being less severe than previous variants. She says that it’s still too early to tell.
“There is some experience from South Africa that seems to suggest it might be less severe, but their population is very different from ours, so we really can’t compare,” she said, adding South Africa is a much younger population with a higher rate of natural infection than Canada.
“We can’t count on Omicron being less severe. I hope that is the case; that would be good news.”
As of now, both the province and hospitals in Huron-Perth have some capacity, however if cases continue to double at the current rate, it could impact the health care system.
“Omicron is so transmissible and there’s still such a large number of Ontarians that are unvaccinated, even a lower rate of hospitalization and ICU admission can still overwhelm our system,” she said.
Regional Huron-Perth booster shot outlook
As of Dec. 20, 21,719 (15.4 per cent) Huron-Perth residents have received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Klassen said she is encouraged by the uptake in booster doses, especially over the past week or so, when 9,600 third doses were administered.
“Before Omicron began to spread rapidly, we had lots of appointment availability and capacity. Then Omicron awareness got out there, and people really started to show more interest in getting their third dose. Demand surged again,” she said. “We booked about 15,000 appointments last week through our phone and online booking systems. We worked really hard, along with our partners, to add capacity.”
Of course, increased demand has led to some delays in booking a third dose appointment.
“We thank you, Huron-Perth, for stepping up and trying to get your third dose,” said Klassen. “It will increase the whole population immunity and help break chains of transmission, but please don’t rely on that alone at this time because the rates of transmission are too high out there, and everybody needs to continue to take additional measures.”
For more information on COVID-19 in Huron-Perth or to book a vaccine appointment, visit www.hpph.ca or call 1-833-753-2098.
