Only 47% of Canadians would have gotten their third dose, experts worry, as the sixth wave of COVID-19 rages across the country.
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Many health experts are expressing growing concern about the slow delivery of the third dose, or booster dose, across the country, the Globe and Mail. The first two doses of COVID-19 vaccines would not provide sufficient long-term protection against the Omicron variant.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, only 47% of the population, and 57% of people aged 18 and over, have received a booster shot so far. A growing body of research shows that three doses of vaccinations are required to provide adequate protection against Omicron.
This week, Health Canada reported that nearly 1.5 million COVID-19 vaccines have expired since January, indicating that vaccine uptake has seen a significant decline.
The issue of booster doses is critical, as the now-dominant Omicron variant is able to escape some of the protective effect offered by two doses of currently available messenger RNA vaccines, especially in the most vulnerable people. Although the third and fourth doses, or booster shots, do not always prevent people from becoming infected, they work very well to prevent hospitalization and death.
In the United States, a study published in the British Medical Journal in March found that two doses of an mRNA vaccine were only 65% effective in preventing Omicron-related hospitalizations in people 18 years of age and older. For people who received three doses, the effectiveness of preventing hospitalizations increased to 86%.