‘The best vaccine is the one that is in your arm,’ says Burlington doctor
When Krysta Simoes knew for sure Winterberry Family Medicine was getting 1,500 AstraZeneca COVID vaccines, she sat down and cried.
Finally the moment comes where we're not sitting on the sidelines anymore, we are going to reduce the spread and we're going get our patients vaccinated," said Simoes, who is a clinical manager at Winterberry. It was so incredibly overwhelming and one of my most proud moments working as a nurse to date."
Dr. Ian Preyra, the chief of staff at Burlington's Joseph Brant Hospital, describes visiting the on-site vaccination clinic after a gruelling day in the intensive care unit (ICU) or emergency department.
To watch people leave knowing that is one more person that I won't see in the emergency or ICU, knowing they will be safe," said Preyra. The most touching thing for me is seeing husbands and wives come in together and get their vaccination and sit hand in hand and I feel like at least these two lives are going to be protected when so many others have been tragically impacted by the pandemic."
With the third wave bringing the health-care system to the brink, the push is on to get needles in arms as soon as residents become eligible - the age is expected to drop to 40 the week of May 10 with more essential workers and people with health conditions added. All Ontarians age 18-plus are expected to be eligible by the week of May 24 and kids as young as 12 will be sometime after that.
Vaccination is the best way for this all to be over - this pandemic that we're all so sick of and we're so tired of," said Preyra. This is the best way out."
Hamilton got extra vaccines for the weeks of May 3 and May 10 as 50 per cent of the province's supply went to hot spots, which was an increase from 25 per cent the week of April 26.
However, it's half of what the Ontario COVID-19 Science Table recommended - it advised 50 per cent to hot spots for four weeks. Instead, the province will start allocating purely on a per-capita basis the week of May 17.
The city's extra supply is based only on two postal codes recognized as hot spots by the province - L8W and L9C. It does not count the three added by the city - L8N, L8L and L9K. However, public health can use the vaccines any way it sees fit.
Hamilton public health has done the critical work of identifying COVID-19 hot spots ... but they're being hamstrung by the province," NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said May 4. We're calling on the Ford government to stop denying Hamilton's hot spots the supports and help they need."
Coun. Nrinder Nann also raised concern about Hamilton's extra vaccine supply being based on two of five hot spots, saying, For the province to exclude these postal codes is inequitable and unfair."
The other snag in the vaccine rollout is the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) naming Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna as the preferred vaccines and suggesting those at lower risk might want to wait for them.
The best vaccine is the one that is in your arm," said Preyra. No matter what vaccine you get, they are safe and effective ... You should take the one you can get."
He tweeted on May 5: I have not seen a single fully vaccinated person in our COVID ICU or in our morgue. Cut through the noise to a single critical fact: If you are vaccinated, you will not die of COVID. Don't wait. Don't skip your second dose."
Simoes stresses that those age 40 and over can get vaccinated now with AstraZeneca by booking at WinterberryMedical.ca or calling 905-575-9004. Waiting could take weeks past when you become eligible.
I'm very pleasantly surprised to see that the demand and uptake for AstraZeneca has been there this week," she said, adding the first day of the clinic Friday was full. The positive message that the best vaccine is the first one you can get in your arm seems to be really hitting home for a lot of people."
A Hamilton blood clot specialist tweeted out a thread May 3 about the recommendations.
NACI is trying to say that in an ideal state, mRNA vaccines are preferred because they have no risk of blood clots beyond what we see in the general population. But when the pandemic is raging, there are no good choices - only hard decisions," said Dr. Menaka Pai, who is an associate professor of medicine at McMaster University.
And right now, NACI's asking us to think about the expected wait time for mRNA vaccines, our risk of getting COVID, and our risk of bad COVID outcomes."
Joanna Frketich is a Hamilton-based reporter covering health for The Spectator. Reach her via email: jfrketich@thespec.com