It is now the “priority” of the Legault government: the administration of the third dose of vaccine against COVID-19 will be accelerated in Quebec in an attempt to control the increase in cases and curb the Omicron variant. The interval between the second and third dose is reduced from six months to three months. A measure welcomed by experts, who recall, however, that the challenge will be to find the necessary resources to vaccinate at a sustained rate.
“On the strength of that, we will definitely adjust our schedule. Additional appointments will be available ”, assured the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé on Thursday, confirming that around 1,500 people had already volunteered via the platform I contribute !, in order to lend a hand to the government in the massive vaccination effort.
Quebec says it is busy “sorting out those who have the skills” to administer vaccines, but still invites all people who believe they have these skills to come forward.
As of Monday, December 20, Quebecers aged 65 and over will be able to make their appointment. And starting Monday, December 27, it will be the turn of the 60 and over. Vaccination may also be faster in some areas. The government hopes to be able to immunize up to 100,000 people a day soon. Health workers will also be given priority.
In CHSLDs and private seniors’ residences (RPA), where 99% of residents have already received their booster dose, all visitors and caregivers will now have to present a vaccination passport, as a preventive measure. “We will also make our rapid tests available there,” promised Mr. Dubé, without however advancing a deadline. The minister then delivered a plea for the safety of the elderly. “You have to wear the mask, you have to be careful. Distancing, especially in common areas, be careful. Even if you have your third dose, the virus is circulating, ”he reminded the users of these residences.
In recent months, Quebec “has been able to avoid major outbreaks [dans les RPA et les CHSLD] “, Also slipped Christian Dubé, saying to do everything possible so that the nightmare of 2020 does not happen again.
“It becomes an important key, this third dose”, for his part underlined the Prime Minister, François Legault, recalling however that it will be “important to respect the order according to the risks of each one”. “If we opened tomorrow morning to people 18 and over, that would mean that we could find ourselves in a situation where a 40-year-old could pass in front of a 70-year-old, who is much more vulnerable. We want to go there in order of risk, to go there gradually “, he warned, before adding:” The fact that we are better vaccinated than elsewhere, that will help us, for sure, but despite that, we’re going to be hit. ”
The third crucial dose
Like the government, the experts joined by Press are unanimous: the third dose of vaccine will be crucial to overcome this new wave of cases, propelled by the Omicron variant.
The most recent data show that the Pfizer vaccine significantly loses its efficacy against the Omicron variant. Thus, the vaccine protects 70% against serious complications, and the risk of infection is only reduced by 33%. However, the vaccine was previously effective against more than 90% of severe cases and 75% of infections.
” It is not negligible. While the third dose was not absolutely required for the majority of the population before the Delta variant, it is quite a bit higher with the Omicron variant ”, affirms Alain Lamarre, professor and researcher specializing in immunology and virology at the Institute. national scientific research.
A booster dose would indeed rapidly increase the level of antibodies, recalls Mr. Lamarre, which would give the immune system a better chance of protecting itself against the Omicron variant.
If Quebec has made the faster administration of the third dose a priority, “Quebec’s real problem is our ability to vaccinate,” said Gaston De Serres, epidemiologist at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec ( INSPQ). “We must considerably increase the number of vaccinators. This is where the bottleneck is, ”he said.
For it to be as effective as possible, vaccination should go hand in hand with barrier gestures. “Everything else, the mask, the social distancing, the cleaning of the hands, it’s still a lot of stake. Since the time that we apply them, sometimes we are inclined to be a little more negligent, to take them more lightly ”, warns on this subject the DD Maryse Guay, medical consultant at the Public Health Department and at the INSPQ, and member of the Quebec Immunization Committee.