The uptake in the COVID-19 bivalent booster has been good, according to Nova Scotia’s health minister, while testing for the virus is lacking.
Peter Jorna gets about 60 doses of the Moderna bivalent vaccine a week at his Halifax pharmacy. He says appointments are quickly booked.
“The newer bivalent ones, those clinics fill up fast, like 98 per cent full,” says Jorna.
That’s a bit of good news in the fight against the Omicron strain of COVID-19.
Health officials are calling for more Nova Scotians to resume regular testing to hit COVID with a one-two punch that will provide optimal protection against the virus.
“The best time to get your next dose of vaccine is, for people who are medically vulnerable, at least 120 days from your last infection, or 168 days from your last infection if you’re not medically vulnerable,” says infectious disease specialist Dr. Lisa Barrett. “Pretty darn hard to know if you’ve been sick if you didn’t get tested.”
Nova Scotia reported 17 COVID-related deaths last week, however the health minister says that reporting period covers more than seven days.
“Eleven of those deaths were prior to October 11, but were reported in that timeframe and then six would have been in the timeframe that would’ve been during that reporting period,” Michelle Thompson says.
Thompson adds that public health is closely watching the spread and severity of Omicron, but she’s not yet ready to consider bringing back restrictions.
“We will continue to talk to public health. We look at what the epidemiology is telling us, we are moving forward week by week and understanding what is happening here and across the country because it is often a precursor,” says Thompson.
New Brunswick’s department of health announced Friday that the Pfizer bivalent booster is now available to people 12 and older who qualify.
Like in Nova Scotia, booster doses are available at vaccine outreach clinics and pharmacies.
