Booster dose provides better protection against Omicron variant
, recalls the government in a press release from the Ministry of Health and Social Services.
In the process, if the 35 and over could already make an appointment to get the said booster dose on Tuesday evening, it is the 25 and over who will have access to this service on Thursday.
For those aged 18 and over, the appointment booking period is also brought forward; all adults in Quebec will be able to proceed as of Friday, rather than Monday, as previously announced.
A public health recommendation
Interviewed on Wednesday on the show The 15-18, on ICI Première, the director of the Quebec vaccination campaign against COVID-19, Daniel Paré, assured that the decision to offer a booster dose as soon as the symptoms disappear was taken following a recommendation from public health.
In particular, he argued that such a measure was already in force in the United States.
Mr. Paré, who is not a doctor, did not want to advance on the scientific reasons that led public health to recommend the inoculation of a third dose of vaccine to Quebecers who contracted COVID-19 from the end of their symptoms. However, he stressed that this way of doing things had the merit of being more simple
.
As the number of cases has exploded and the government’s screening capacity has declined significantly in recent weeks, several Quebecers who have suffered symptoms attributed to COVID-19 were wondering whether or not they should meet the recommended eight-week deadline. , explained Mr. Paré.
: it is easier to explain that after the end of the symptoms, whether they are related to COVID or that they are of influenza origin, […] we have to go get the third dose. “,” text “:” We were getting a lot of questions, he admitted. I wait? I do not wait? I got it? Didn’t I get it? Following that, the public health department made a finding: it’s easier to explain that after the end of the symptoms, whether they are related to COVID or whether they are of influenza origin. , […] you have to go get the third dose. “}}”>We received a lot of questions. I wait? I do not wait? I got it? Didn’t I get it? Following that, the public health department made a finding: it’s easier to explain that after the end of the symptoms, whether they are related to COVID or whether they are of influenza origin. , […] you have to go get the third dose.
Not all are of his opinion. This is the case of Dr. Karl Weiss, microbiologist-infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital and professor at the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, who shows himself very, very puzzled
the idea of quickly giving a booster dose to those who have just recovered from COVID-19.
I am very curious as to what led to such a recommendation
, he said on ICI RDI. Indeed, according to him, there is not much point in vaccinating people who have just had COVID
.
boosted their immune system in an important way with the disease “,” text “:” Especially if these are people who have already had two [ou trois doses], who recovered, who probably weren’t very sick, who probably already have a good immune system because they weren’t very sick and who, on top of that, boosted their immune system in a way important with the disease “}}”>Especially if these are people who have already had two [ou trois doses], who have recovered, who probably weren’t very sick, who probably already have a good immune system because they weren’t very sick and who, in addition to that, have boosted their immune system significantly with disease
, he said.
« There’s pretty much no infectious disease condition where you do that sort of thing out there, immediately giving a vaccine to someone who just had an acute infection. »
Dr Weiss believes those who have recently experienced symptoms associated with COVID-19 should wait instead at least three months
after infection before receiving a booster dose.
Especially since the manufacturers of messenger RNA vaccines, such as Pfizer or Moderna, are preparing new vaccines which will soon be available and which will be more suitable for the Omicron variant and its derivatives, he says.
Her colleague Cécile Tremblay, microbiologist-infectious disease specialist at the CHUM, is less categorical.
wave. This is not, however, an emergency. They can recover from their illness a little. “,” Text “:” Science is not clear on the ideal interval, Dr. Tremblay told Radio-Canada on Wednesday. In my opinion, people who have had COVID-19 need a third dose. Giving it sooner speeds up protection in the 5th wave. This is not, however, an emergency. They can recover from their illness a little. “}}”>Science is unclear on the ideal interval, Dr Tremblay told Radio-Canada on Wednesday. In my opinion, people who have had COVID-19 need a third dose. Giving it sooner speeds up protection in the context of Wave 5. This is not, however, an emergency. They can recover from their illness a little.
The public health recommendation, which Radio-Canada was able to consult, was signed by Dr. Horacio Arruda on Monday, the very day of his resignation.
To justify his decision, he mentions: the recommendation of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization of Canada (CNNI)
; the position of the Quebec Immunization Committee (CIQ), which does not rule out this option
; the position of the US CDCs
; the unavailability of PCR tests
; and limited laboratory capacity
.
Quebec has known for several days a sharp increase in the number of people hospitalized because of a COVID-19 infection. Wednesday, lhe total number of hospitalizations was 2,877, 135 more than the day before.
And it’s not over. Last week, two projection models selected by the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS) were continued to forecast growth in new hospitalizations linked to COVID-19 in Quebec.
For normal beds, projections suggested that in two weeks the occupancy by these patients could exceed 3,000 beds. In addition, around 20,000 health workers are absent.