Ontario’s chief medical officer says an early influenza season in the Southern Hemisphere was the standard for how the province’s public health agency acquired vaccines in preparation for a respiratory virus season that’s already begun.
Dr. Kieran Moore says a mix of “A and B strains” of the virus, one affecting just humans and the other both humans and animals, likely will be circulating after several countries like Australia, New Zealand and Chile battled that scenario when their season kicked off in late April.
“I’m happy to say, given what’s happened in the Southern Hemisphere, we’re anticipating a good match between what we’ve provided through vaccine and what we anticipate circulating,” Moore said.
“So we think you’ll have at least a 50 per cent decreased risk in your being hospitalized if you get vaccinated with the influenza vaccine we have.”
Ontario residents who are six months and older can now receive a free flu shot and an updated COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday.
It comes after close to 325,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered at high-risk settings and hospitals across Ontario in October.
The shot targets the XBB variant of COVID-19, among the “family” of Omicron variants currently circulating.
Hamilton Public Health (HPH) wants residents to take a “multi-layered approach” implementing multiple measures in addition to getting influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations.
The city’s guidelines call for “respiratory etiquette,” covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, wearing a mask if at high risk of infection, and keeping hands and surfaces clean.
Self-screening for illness and masks are also recommended.
Moore says the height of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago was the “lesson learned” with the multi-layered measures to fight COVID-19 practically obliterating influenza season, as documented in an epidemiologic study.
“Even without a vaccine, we can defeat influenza,” Moore said.
“It’s much less infectious than RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and COVID, and so those basic measures of hand hygiene, masking (and) isolation will absolutely help.”
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The latest data on the spread of respiratory viruses in Hamilton was generally stable last week, with some increases in RSV and COVID-19 metrics, which saw wastewater samples and reported positive tests go up over the last three weeks.
The city’s hospital networks had to deal with high levels of COVID-19, flu and RSV in the fall and winter last year and anticipate little change this year with the early viral season already slowing routine care, even cancelling surgeries.
Last week, all Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) outlets jointly reported occupancy rates in and around 100 per cent, with some 83 COVID-19 patients admitted.
It’s for that reason HPH associate medical officer of health Dr. Brian Lew is pushing for more than general hygiene, recommending shots since they’re top of the prevention list.
“Vaccination is key to keep our community healthy, reduce the health impacts of influenza and COVID-19, and reduce strain on our community’s health-care system,” Lew said.
Ontario ordered more than 6.1 million vaccine doses, including 1.85 million doses of two flu shots for seniors, for the 2023-24 flu season.
The volume doesn’t target all the roughly 15.5 million in the province, but rather those with the highest risk of admission to hospital if they come down with the illnesses.
“So we really need anyone over 60 years of age with an underlying or those with an underlying medical illness to come forward to get protected,” Moore said.
“It’s those individuals that are really our high priority for us to get immunized and get protected because those individuals are the ones that have the highest risk of getting into hospital.”
A list of pharmacies providing vaccines can be seen on the province’s website.
Bookings for a COVID-19 vaccination at an HPH clinic can be made through the city’s website.
– with files from The Canadian Press
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