B.C. has begun rolling out a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine for older people over 70 and Aboriginals aged 55 and older.
Likewise, those who are clinically considered extremely vulnerable are now eligible for a fifth dose of the vaccine.
The program is targeting the highest risk groups, who have passed six months after the first booster injection (third dose) and their protection may be diminishing, especially for the Omicron variant.
The announcement is consistent with guidance from the Canadian National Immunization Advisory Committee (NACI), which on Tuesday recommended “rapid deployment” of a second COVID-19 booster for people aged 80 and older.
The province said that some long-term care homes have launched a fourth dose vaccination program and will soon send invitations to those who meet the criteria.
According to data released by the province, unvaccinated people continue to account for the largest proportion of deaths, severe illnesses and hospitalizations related to COVID-19.
Those who do not receive a full COVID-19 vaccination (usually two full doses and one booster) face much higher risks than those who have received the vaccine.
According to the latest data, 59% of adults 18 and older in BC received boosters, while 91% received two doses. Only 56% of eligible children aged 5 to 11 received their first dose.
(Image source: CTV News)
Although officials expect cases to increase in the coming weeks, BC remains insisting on canceling COVID-19 vaccine passport requirements this week.
Starting Friday, unvaccinated people will be allowed to go to restaurants, cinemas, chamber concerts and stadiums, as well as other places where provincial vaccine cards are required. Vaccination rules for those living in middle school dormitories will also be lifted Friday. However, federally regulated travel (such as on a plane) still requires a certificate of vaccination.
Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix gave the latest updates at a COVID-19 briefing Tuesday. The
announcement comes with a model demonstration showing that cases are increasing.
(Image source: CTV News
New research presented at the European Conference on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) held in Lisbon, Portugal from April 23 to 26 this year shows that infection with different variants can cause different long-term symptoms!
(Image source: eurekalert)
Studies show that more than half of SARS-CoV-2 infection survivors have experienced acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), commonly known as “long-term” COVID”. This condition affects people of any age.
In this study, researchers conducted a retrospective observational study of 428 patients (254 (59%) men and 174 (41%) women) who were treated at the COVID clinic at the Careggi University Hospital between June 2020 and June 2021, with the original form at that time the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and Alpha variants in the population.
These patients were hospitalized and discharged from COVID-19 4-12 , and then visit the clinic and complete the persistent symptoms questionnaire. More than three quarters of patients (76%) of
(76%) reported at least one persistent symptoms. The most common reported symptoms were shortness of breath (37%) and chronic fatigue (36%), followed by sleep problems (16%), vision problems (13%) and brain fog (13%).
analysis shows that people who need immunosuppressant drugs such as tocilizumab are six times more likely to report long-term COVID symptoms than others, while those who receive high-flow oxygen support are 40% more likely to experience persistent problems. Women are almost twice as likely to report symptoms of long-term COVID than men. However, 2 diabetes patients with appear to have a lower risk of developing long-term COVID symptoms. Further research is needed to better understand this unexpected discovery, the authors said.
(Image source: pixabay)
However, Canadian infectious disease experts questioned the accuracy of the study.Dr. Christopher Carlsten is the Director of Respiratory Medicine, University of British Columbia. While he said he praised any efforts to better understand COVID-19, he did not believe that the Alpha variant would lead to more severe COVID-related syndrome than the others.
He told CTVNews: "This is a retrospective observational study, which always raises bias questions, whether these long-term symptoms are really triggered by the Alpha variant or some other factors that appear with the Alpha variant. There are too many variables that exist at the same time."
(Image source: CTV News)
epidemiologist at the University of Saskatchewan tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv tv Acute sequelae (PASC). ”
As stated in the study, long-term COVID has been diagnosed with both young and elderly patients, as well as patients who are often considered healthy and those with underlying health conditions. A recent study shows that up to 30% of people with COVID-19 will continue to experience long-term symptoms. However, the exact percentage remains unclear, as population-level studies that assess long-term COVID prevalence have not yet surfaced.
As restrictions continue to be lifted in most parts of Canada, this may lead people to think that COVID-19 is a past, but Muhajarine says this is not the case, especially when considering the possibility of long-term symptoms of COVID.
Muhajarine also called on the health care system to open more clinical facilities dedicated to providing outpatient treatment for long-term COVID patients and recommended that the public health system establish a patient registry among people who have been infected with the new coronavirus for a long time. He said that by collecting data from these patients, including their medical history and details of previous infections, this could help find patterns that are easier to diagnose.
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