Hamilton to open walk-in COVID booster clinic at Centre on Barton

Anyone aged 50 or older in Hamilton will be able get a third shot of the COVID-19 vaccine without an appointment beginning Wednesday.

Hamilton's medical officer of health announced the change in vaccine accessibility Tuesday as supply of doses remain steady and long-awaited appointments on the city's booking portal free up.

The walk-in clinic for the age group will be located at the Centre on Barton and run from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Its opening comes amid heightened demand for COVID boosters and tests as the province grapples with skyrocketing Omicron cases.

About 20,000 new vaccine appointments were made available on the city's booking portal Tuesday, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said at a COVID briefing, adding about 36 per cent of eligible residents have already received a third jab.

With booster doses, we are happy to say that are accessibility is opening up," she said. We should be able to meet the demand for anybody who wants a third dose to get one by the end of this month."

Tuesday's briefing saw city officials and local health network leaders discuss a host of COVID-related issues, including the current strain on hospitals, access to testing, mixing vaccine doses, what to do if you feel sick and how to protect yourself.

We round up some of the need-to-know highlights below.

Are tests available right now?

Testing capacity across the city remains tight due to demand, Richardson said.

The only people who can presently get a PCR test in Hamilton under new provincial guidelines are high-risk individuals. That means, for instance, people who are immunocompromised, homeless, live in supportive housing or work in congregate, high-risk settings such as hospitals and long-term-care and retirement homes.

If you can't obtain a test, health officials advise you to stay home, isolate and monitor for symptoms. If you test positive on a rapid antigen test, you should consider yourself positive with COVID, immediately isolate for 10 days and notify your close contacts.

If I received Pfizer for my first two doses, is there any reason to feel worried about getting a Moderna booster?

Richardson said doses of Pfizer in Hamilton are being preserved for people under 30 due to the age group being at higher risk for myocarditis and pericarditis, a rare vaccine side effect that causes inflammation in the heart.

But the good news is mRNA vaccines - like Pfizer or Moderna - are interchangeable.

I wouldn't at all be worried about combining those vaccines and there may even be a slight advantage (with Moderna) as we go forward," Richardson said, noting early indicators point to Moderna boosters having higher levels of antibodies and lasting longer than Pfizer.

What should you do if you feel mild symptoms but can't access a test?

The first thing to consider, according to Dr. Scott Wooder of the Hamilton Family Health Team, is self-care.

We've all had many, many cold and flus in our lifetimes, and we know we can usually manage these things at home, by ourselves and with the help of our family," Wooder said at the briefing. We know the importance of rest, fluid and anti-fever medications, and we know we don't always need to see a nurse or a doctor when we get an infection."

That said, if you feel your symptoms worsening, Wooder said your next point of contact should be your family physician or primary-care provider.

With hospitals bracing for more COVID patients and droves of health-care workers entering isolation periods due to exposure, emergency rooms should be among your last resorts for symptom-related questions, said Melissa Farrell, president of St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. If you feel severe symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath, attend an ER or call 911 if your personal transport is unavailable.

We're really trying to protect the emergency care for emergency services, and we really ask people to not try and access the ER for a PCR test," Farrell said, pointing to virtual ERs as an alternative.

Additionally, Wooder said the Hamilton Family Health Team is rolling out a virtual primary-care system next week to help those without a family doctor get connected with physicians.

Sebastian Bron is a reporter at The Spectator. sbron@thespec.com