The wait for COVID booster shots is ‘irresponsible,’ says Halton cancer patient

Two weeks after Ontario announced third-dose eligibility of the COVID-19 vaccine, a Halton resident is decrying the slow rollout of booster shots locally.

Ed Hannah, a 66-year-old retired lawyer from Burlington, has been anxious for his shot since the provincial announcement on Aug. 17, when third doses were opened to:

• Transplant recipients (including solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplants);

• Patients with hematological cancers (e.g. lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia) on active treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy);

• Anti-CD20 agent recipients; and

• Residents of high-risk congregate settings including long-term-care homes, higher-risk licensed retirement homes and First Nations eldercare lodges.

Soon after the announcement, Hannah saw his doctor at Joseph Brant Hospital who confirmed he's eligible for the shot. Hannah was diagnosed with small lymphocytic lymphoma, a cancer affecting a type of white blood cell, in 2017 and is receiving a targeted therapy with a drug called ibrutinib.

But because there were no instructions yet from Halton public health unit on third doses, he can't get his shot.

I could be sitting here - with the Delta variant running around the way it is - having absolutely no protection," Hannah said. It's irresponsible."

Halton Region did not respond to Hannah's concerns or to questions about its rollout of third doses by deadline.

However, the region's website says Halton public health department is waiting for further details and guidance from the Ministry of Health" to offer booster shots.

At this time, third doses are not available at Halton Region community vaccination clinics. We will update our website as details are confirmed, so please check back regularly," it says. Halton Region's mobile teams will also be offering third doses to residents of high-risk congregate settings once details are confirmed."

According to the Ministry of Health, third doses should be given at least two months after the second COVID shot to immunocompromised patients. Health-care providers should recommend the precise timing based on the individual's treatment and condition.

In Hamilton, public health said eligible residents will be contacted by their health-care provider - which could be a primary-care provider, specialist or the patient's hospital specialty program - to advise of their eligibility and co-ordination to receive a third dose."

Public health did not provide details on when that process will begin.

For long-term-care homes, the city says it's planning to offer third doses through its in-house vaccination program where facilities offer the shots themselves. The interval is at least five months after the second dose, per the province. Each home's administrator will set their own vaccination schedule, public health said, noting homes are currently being prepared for the program.

In higher-risk" licensed retirement homes - defined as those co-located" with long-term-care homes or which provide dementia care - the city will offer third doses through mobile clinics. Public health will be doing this planning and work in the days and weeks ahead," said spokesperson James Berry in an email.

Providing strong protection for our most vulnerable community members against COVID-19 and the Delta variant continues to be a top priority," he added.

Meanwhile, other places like Waterloo and Ottawa have begun offering third doses to eligible residents.

Booster shots are not without controversy. The World Health Organization recently called for a two-month moratorium on third doses to allow countries with lower access to vaccines to increase their first- and second-dose coverage.

Maria Iqbal is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator covering aging. Reach her via email: miqbal@thespec.com.