Saskatchewan doctors urge students to get their COVID-19 boosters, as they will soon be returning to school.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has released a number of key statistics when it comes to the province’s residents getting vaccinated.
Only 2.38 per cent of eligible population aged between 18 and 49 had received their fourth dose by Aug. 22. From a population of 418.979, a total 9,672 fourth doses were delivered.
For third doses (first boosters), however, 195,482 third doses were delivered. This is 47.16 percent of those aged between 18-49 years.
For those below five years old, 3691 doses (3.678 first doses & 13 second doses respectively) have been administered. This represents 4.90% of the eligible population at 75,011.
Dr. Nazeem M. Muhajarine suggested that the reason we see a low number fourth doses could be due to people feeling vaccinated fatigue.
“There is some degree of fatigue not only from COVID-19, but also perhaps from vaccines as well,” Muhajarine said. “That constant refrain that we hear that you need to get this next dose that is available.”
Muhajarine said that the misconceptions about the vaccine’s effects on your body are one reason for low fourth-dose uptake, particularly with regard to how it reacts against the Omicron variant.
He said while the vaccine doesn’t make you less susceptible to the virus, it does prevent long-term COVID-19 sickness. Although the vaccine was more effective against the earlier strains of the virus than it was for other strains, it still works well at creating and teaching antibodies that are ready for infection.
“The vaccines are still protecting us from ending up in hospital and dying of COVID-19,” he said. “So the vaccine may not necessarily protect you against getting infected from Omicron, but is still protecting you from ending up in hospitals.”
Dr. Cory Neudorf, a professor at Saskatoon’s College of Medicine, is saying that in order to live with COVID-19 in Saskatchewan, residents must adapt from one month to the next.
“This wave is on the increase and that’s going to be our new normal for the next few years is to keep an eye on what the virus doing in our community right now,” Neudorf said.
“When do we need to don our masks again and when can we be less concerned about that again? Is there a new booster dose available that I’m eligible for and when can I go get it? If we can all do that more, we’ll be out of this pandemic a lot sooner.”
Neudorf is hopeful that more people, particularly those in the younger age group, will start to get their doses when they move into schools or daycares for the first time.
“You can think of it as just another way to get ready for the fall is getting that booster dose that you’re eligible for and making sure you’re understanding the level of risk in your community. Doing all you can to prevent your child getting ill becomes more important during this wave.”
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