Second boosters will be more effective leading up to expected fall wave: expert

A local infectious disease specialist agrees with holding off on rolling out second booster doses to the majority of Nova Scotians, for now.

This comes as some experts are calling for widespread access to a fourth shot of COVID-19 vaccine, according to a Canadian Press report.

Currently in Nova Scotia, second boosters are limited to those who are 70 years of age or older, and a couple other high risk groups.

Dalhousie University researcher Dr. Lisa Barrett said there's a strategy to waiting as “quite the wave” of COVID infection is expected once summer ends.

“We need to be sure we're using the right dose at the right time to get the maximum impact,” she explained.

“We don't want to give the dose too early when people are going to need it in the fall … we want people's immune systems to be, from a timing perspective, in the best spot to have those antibodies high in the fall.”

Barrett said circulating Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are highly contagious, but thankfully so far they don't seem to be causing a more severe illness.

“They're concerning, they spread a lot,” she told CityNews Halifax. “But our preliminary data, and we have to get more information on this, is that the vaccines do provide some protection and there are companies working on Omicron specific vaccines for the fall.”

“These viruses we're seeing coming out are still mutating toward more infectivity, and that means that we're going to need to keep our vaccine rates and our protections from natural and vaccine immunity up high.”

She said it's up to us to take measures to reduce the impact of these new highly contagious subvariants.

“If people think that we can completely take away masks, testing and vaccine boosters then they're probably not in the right realm,” Barrett stated. “We're going to need all those things as we go into the late summer and fall to combat  BA.4 and BA.5.”

“You'll notice I didn't mention anything about not travelling or not being able to out in public, it's just being more aware when we do those things.”

She said it's not a “big ask” to have people wear masks in public spaces, like on transit and or inside buildings offering essential services.

According to information released Thursday, 65.8 per cent of Nova Scotians 18 and older have received at least one booster dose, and 74,159 people have received a second.

Nova Scotia has recorded 438 COVID-19 deaths so far.

Since Dec 8, 2021, which is considered the start of the Omicron waves, 326 deaths have been attributed to the virus.