WRH chief of staff urges booster injection in fight against Omicron

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Windsor Regional Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad urges those eligible to receive their COVID-19 booster injections before the new Omicron variant takes hold in the region, citing preliminary evidence pointing to that those third injections offer more protection against the latest COVID-19. mutation.

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Saad gave an update on what health officials have learned about Omicron during the hospital’s monthly board meeting on Thursday.

No cases of Omicron have been reported locally to date.

“For now, it seems more transmissible, it may not be more lethal, although it is too early to tell, and our current booster vaccines appear to offer protection against Omicron,” Saad said.

“There is some preliminary data that is good news to suggest that our current vaccines, particularly the mRNA vaccines, will protect against Omicron except that your immune system is boosted.

“It seems that one or two doses of the mRNA vaccines do not offer as much protection as someone who has received a third dose or a booster dose. We know that boosters improve your immune response and protect you. “

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Saad’s position was reinforced by the findings of a study by the UK Health and Safety Agency published on Friday.

The study of 581 people found that protection against Omicron for those with two doses of Astra Zeneca and Pfizer was significantly less than against Delta and Alpha. However, when he was given a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine, the protection went back up from 70 to 75 percent.

The UK study also found that there have been no deaths in Britain attributed to Omicron.

“Whenever a new variant comes out, it generally becomes the dominant variant,” Saad said. “Like Delta, it outperformed Alpha in North America and most of the world.

“What we still don’t know is whether Omicron is more deadly than Delta. Many people who become infected with Omicron seem to have milder symptoms.

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“But of course we know that if you end up infecting more people with a milder virus, you may still end up with a larger number by virtue of infecting more people.”

Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj said it’s only a matter of time before Omicron becomes the dominant variant in North America and hits the Windsor region.

“It has been as close as London as of (Wednesday),” Musyj said. “Most likely it is already here and it is a matter of finding it.

“The UK predicts that in two to four weeks the Delta variant will pass in your presence there. It means we won’t be left behind. “

Local health officials said they are urging the Health Ministry to implement booster injections more quickly before Omicron gains momentum.

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On Friday, the provincial government responded to those calls by announcing that starting January 4, those over 18 will be eligible for booster shots.

Currently, people age 50 and older, who have received their second vaccination at least 168 days ago, are eligible for booster shots.

Appointments are now available to book at the Devonshire Vaccination Center (226-773-2200), at many area pharmacies or through the Windsor Essex County Health Unit WeVax site. (https://www.wechu.org/cv/clinics).

Appointments are also required for children ages five to 11.

Those looking for their first and second doses can do so without scheduling an appointment.

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