Two injections may not be enough. Here’s what you need to know about booking a booster as Omicron ramps up in Ontario

The Omicron variant now accounts for about 31 percent of COVID-19 cases in Ontario, with cases doubling every three days. according to the Ontario COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board.

In comparison, the doubling time of the Delta variant is 34 days.

Bill Comeau, retired statistician, tweeted: “(Omicron) should be dominant in Ontario no later than next week.” Comeau says the math is based on the Dec. 12 findings of the Ontario expert panel, estimating that doubling time every three days would result in 25 percent daily growth in Omicron cases, if not done. nothing to slow down the trajectory.

Omicron is so contagious, Dr. David Juurlink, chief of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, told the Star that he believes everyone will eventually become infected with it.

“I hope to contract this variant in the next few months,” he said in a recent interview, despite being triple vaccinated.

WHO CAN BOOK A BOOSTER?

Starting Monday, Ontarians age 50 and older who received their second dose at least six months (168 days) in advance can schedule a booster appointment.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said Friday the province is expanding the booster program to those 18 and older beginning Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. M.

HOW DO I BOOK A BOOSTER?

People age 50 and older who received their second dose at least six months ago can reserve a booster dose through the COVID-19 Vaccine Portal, by calling the provincial contact center, Run by indigenous vaccination clinics and in participating pharmacies.

Social media users reported problems using the provincial vaccine reservation portal Monday morning, but some have had success using the site since then.

AM I STILL FULLY VACCINATED IF I ONLY HAVE TWO DOSES?

Ontario is rethinking what it means to be fully vaccinated as the province moves toward making booster doses available to more people.

“We are certainly encouraging all those who are currently eligible for the third dose to get theirs and will follow the immune protection of a third dose against Omicron to understand what immunologically represents the best protection. That can change the definition of what is fully immunized, “Moore said.

The more updated orientation The provincial site considers a person to be fully vaccinated if they have received a “complete series of a Health Canada licensed COVID-19 vaccine, or any combination of such vaccines” within 14 days of the last dose of the vaccine. People who have received a mixed set of vaccines or three doses of a COVID vaccine not licensed by Health Canada are also accepted as fully vaccinated.

WHY ARE REINFORCEMENTS IMPORTANT?

By the end of the year, according to an expertOntario could see 10,000 Omicron infections per day, more than double the current record for daily cases set at the crest of the third wave in April.

Medical experts have expressed their opinion on social media and have called on the provincial government to increase access to reinforcements more urgently.

Palliative care physician Naheed Dosani posted on Twitter: “It’s either doing nothing or giving the third dose of the vaccine first to everyone… We can’t do anything. We have to do something.”

Infectious disease scientist and physician Isaac Bogoch tweeted: “Now is an excellent time for 1/2/3 doses, especially before we see a big spike in cases.”

Lisa Richardson, a clinical educator in the division of general internal medicine at the University of Toronto, tweeted: “Another Pandemic Division in Ontario: Access to Rapid Antigen Testing. People who can afford them can easily get tested online or at the pharmacy, but what about those who can’t? ”

The debate over rapid antigen testing has intensified in recent weeks, as health experts and advocates alike have been widely calling for it to be distributed for free and easier in high-density settings like schools and in areas where vaccination rates are low but the case count remains higher. than average. #FreeTheRATs (Free the rapid antigen tests) has been trending daily on Twitter.

Monday also marks the deadline for long-term care workers in the province to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Staff, students, and volunteers cannot enter long-term care homes without proof of both doses.

As of Monday, Ontario has identified at least 80 microns cases in the province since the variant was first detected in November.