New Brunswick not opening up eligibility for fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Public Health in New Brunswick says there are no immediate plans to open the eligibility criteria for fourth doses of the COVID-19 vaccine amid news that cases and hospitalizations are on the rise.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s chief medical officer of health, told Global News in an interview on Tuesday the province would stay the course on its vaccine rollout.

“I don’t see any policy changes happening immediately,” she said. “We’re going to keep monitoring the situation, as we always do, and if there are any changes will make announcements around that.”

Russell said there continues to be discussions with the provincial and territorial chief medical officers of health on the criteria for fourth doses in their routine discussion on a weekly basis, but it is unlikely any changes are forthcoming.

That worries epidemiologist Susanne Gulliver.

“We’ve realized that immunity seems to be waning over time and significantly more quickly than we’ve seen with other vaccination regimes,” she said, comparing the COVID-19 vaccine to the longevity of vaccines for measles and mumps, and HPV.

She said those viruses also do not mutate in the way the COVID-19 does. Gulliver said every new infection can mean a mutation of the virus, especially in countries with limited access to vaccines to begin with.

“There has been a lot of calls in the past week saying that we need to resume indoor masking,” she said. “Because, as great as it is to put the measure back in place, once we’ve been hit with another wave, it doesn’t stop it.”

Vaccination, she explains, continues to be the best defence against the virus coupled with simple protective measures like masking.

“Without these really important and simple public health measures, everyone has been predicting that we’re going to see a nasty wave in the fall,” Gulliver said.

In Ontario, there have been renewed calls for Public Health there to open up the eligibility as well.

But Gulliver said much of the hesitation may be around getting the timing right, fearing that in another six months, people will require another booster dose.

“I mean, I think as it stands now, we’re always going to be every 22 weeks, possibly, until we get this under control,” Gulliver said. “We need to have the multi-pronged approach of vaccination, isolation when sick, and … masking to be able to bring this down to a manageable level.”

She said people cannot let their guard down, even as the summer months heat up.

“There is an idea of seasonality with COVID that just isn’t the case,” she said. “Warmer weather does not make it magically go away.”

Gulliver said it is disappointing to see the seriousness of COVID-19 being disregarded in events that are held outdoors but carry the same risk without proper social distancing.

For her, the key is to continue masking, keeping your physical distance, and when you’re eligible, get vaccinated.