Covid booster dose provides good antibody protection against Omicron: Lancet

OTTAWA: Canada has reported 18,230 new Covid-19 cases, elevating the cumulative whole to 2,026,249 cases with 30,172 deaths.. Ontario confirmed 9,418 new cases on Monday, more than 9,400 new cases for the fourth straight day. Out of the new cases in Ontario, 913 cases were identified in children under the age of 12 years. There were 1,015 cases in youth between the age of 12 and 19 years and another 4,300 cases in people between the age of 20 and 39 years. The new cases brought the cumulative total to 706,580 in Ontario, including deaths and recoveries. Ontario’s rolling seven-day average soared to 7,550, up from 2,863 at the same point last week. There were 480 people in hospital due to Covid-19 and 176 of those patients were in intensive care units in the province. A total of 26,494,532 vaccine doses had been administered across the province, and 90.7 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 years and above had one dose of vaccine and 88 per cent had two doses. Quebec province reported 8,231 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the positivity rate to 24.9 per cent and the cumulative total number of people infected to 546,437. The seven-day average stood at 8,020 and there were 1,469 active outbreaks. There were 614 people in Quebec hospitals being treated for Covid-19, up 187 from Sunday, with 109 patients in intensive care, up by 21. Of the new cases in Quebec, 313 people were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated with one dose received less than 14 days ago; 1,327 were people who had one vaccine dose; and 6,591 were people who received two doses. Over the past week, the Covid-19 case count continued to rise across Canada as the Omicron variant became further entrenched in the country. An increasing number of athletes testing positive for the virus prompted Curling Canada to cancel the Olympic mixed doubles trials on Sunday. Meanwhile, Canadian health experts expect case counts to continue to increase, together with more concerns about the capacity of Canada’s hospitals and healthcare workers to handle another wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some provinces have asked people to get tested only if they have symptoms, as hospitals have reached their testing limits. This means there are likely far more cases than what has been reported. Meanwhile, the Ontario government has opened a new mass vaccination clinic at the International Centre in Mississauga to quickly get more boosters into arms. The new vaccination clinic, operated in partnership with Switch Health, will administer boosters to individuals aged 18 and over, as well as first and second doses to individuals aged five and over. “Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Team Ontario and mass vaccination clinics like the one at the International Centre in Mississauga, we are getting more shots into arms every day,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Whether you need your first, second or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Team Ontario will be here to help. Please get vaccinated as soon as you can.” The new vaccination clinic will be open seven days a week. Ontarians can book an appointment to receive their first, second or booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at the clinic through Ontario’s booking portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. A limited number of walk-in appointments will be also available. The clinic is working on ramping up to its full capacity of approximately 19,000 vaccinations per day, which will help to significantly increase capacity in the area and push Ontario closer to its goal of up to 300,000 doses per day. On December 22, Ontario administered over 253,000 COVID-19 vaccines in a single day. “We are using every tool available to keep Ontarians safe from COVID-19 and meet the strong demand for booster shots across the province,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “Mass vaccination clinics like this one will go a long way to help us vaccinate people as swiftly and conveniently as possible.” As of December 22, 2021, more than two million COVID-19 booster doses have been administered in Ontario. Individuals aged 18 and over across the province are eligible to receive their booster dose three months (84 days) after their second dose, and are strongly encouraged to book their appointment through Ontario’s booking portal, by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, participating pharmacies, primary care settings, or mass vaccination clinics such as the new International Centre COVID-19 vaccination clinic.