Is it too late to get a COVID booster or flu shot before the holidays? What experts say – National | 24CA News
With the vacations quick approaching, Canadians could also be trying ahead to spending time with their household and pals. But this yr, these gatherings are taking place on the backdrop of higher-than-normal flu circumstances and warnings {that a} rise of COVID-19 circumstances could possibly be looming.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public well being officer, instructed reporters throughout a Dec. 14 news convention that whereas the nation has handed the height of the final COVID-19 wave, the brand new yr could carry with it an uptick in COVID-19 exercise.
The newest COVID-19 epidemiology replace acknowledged that Canada had 16,528 COVID-19 circumstances for the week of Dec. 4 to Dec. 10, with a lower in hospital use by COVID-19 sufferers, however a rise in COVID-19-related deaths.
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Meanwhile, the most recent FluWatch report exhibits {that a} complete of 9,393 laboratory detections have been reported from Dec. 4 to Dec. 10. Patients aged 0 to 19 presently account for 38 per cent of lab detections, which is the best proportion amongst all age teams.
Health consultants have been urging Canadians to get their COVID vaccine booters and flu vaccines as these viruses swirl. But is it too late to get them as the vacation nears? Canadians ought to nonetheless get their booster dose or flu shot regardless — even higher, as quickly as potential, consultants instructed Global News.
Raywat Deonandan, an epidemiologist and affiliate professor on the University of Ottawa, mentioned “it’s never too late” to get vaccinated, however getting a vaccine later means people received’t reap the complete results of the vaccine for 2, three or 4 weeks.
“But you should definitely get one,” Deonandan mentioned. “While you’re waiting for that to kick in, take other precautions, improve your ventilation at home and wear a mask in indoor settings.”
In Canada, whereas 83.3 per cent of individuals have obtained at the very least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec. 4, solely 50.4 per cent of Canadians have obtained their first COVID-19 booster dose.
The proportion of Canadians who’ve obtained a second booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine is even decrease at 21.9 per cent.
Although COVID-19 vaccines don’t essentially forestall COVID transmission, they forestall extreme outcomes, mentioned Joan Robinson, a professor on the college of drugs and dentistry on the University of Alberta.
Robinson mentioned that inside per week, people may have extra immunity than they’d on the day they received the shot.
“Even within a few days, you will probably have some protection,” mentioned Robinson, including that nobody is aware of completely for sure what number of days it takes to get substantial safety as effectiveness varies relying on every particular person.
As for flu pictures, Robinson mentioned individuals would most likely have immunity inside seven days of getting a vaccine.
“In fact, if you’ve been immunized before, you may develop immunity even earlier than that, maybe by day three or four,” Robinson mentioned. “The data so far suggests that the flu shot this year is probably a winner and probably does work fairly well.”
According to Health Canada, this season’s flu shot will assist to guard Canadians towards influenza A(H1N1), influenza A(H3N2) and influenza B.
Dr. Melanie Bechard, a pediatric emergency medication doctor in Ottawa, urges Canadians to get their flu shot and COVID boosters in the event that they haven’t already.
“I’ve seen a lot of suffering in little humans that likely could have been prevented or lessened by receiving the flu shot early on,” mentioned Bechard. “The best time to get the flu shot was a month ago, but the next best time to get it is right now.”
Deonandan mentioned people who find themselves experiencing signs ought to steer clear of gatherings and people ought to think about not going to gatherings in the event that they discover different persons are symptomatic.
He added that folks ought to use fast exams earlier than attending occasions to “reduce the likelihood of a transmission event.”
“Use rapid tests. This is really a criminally underused tool,” Deonandan mentioned. “They’re not perfect and they’re less perfect now, but they’re still very useful.”
— with information from Global News’ Teresa Wright and Aaron D’Andrea
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
