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Manitoba youth at high risk from COVID-19 and its variants are being recommended to get a third dose of vaccine, according to guidance announced by public health officials on Monday.
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Effective Monday, youth ages 12 to 17 should receive a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine if they are or might be at a high risk of severe outcomes due to medical or social risk factors, following new recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). The third dose will be offered at least six months after the second dose.
“We know that we have a significant population of teens who fit the criteria who are at higher risk of severe outcomes and would benefit from being as protected as possible against this virus and its variants,” said Dr. Joss Reimer, Vaccine Implementation Task Force medical lead at a vaccine and health system update Monday.
Meanwhile, one of the leads for Manitoba’s COVID response incident command Dr. David Matear reported that the number of Manitobans in hospital has continued to “plateau” in recent days with 702 COVID-positive patients in hospital on Monday, down 14 from Sunday and a decrease 4.5% over the last week.
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“To give some context, the number of COVID-positive patients was increasing as much as 70 or 80% week over week in early to mid-January,” said Matear, noting that while new COVID admissions to intensive care units are still higher than they’d like the numbers are coming down from what was seen a week or two ago. “So we’re headed in the right direction.”
Those youth eligible for booster dose will include those with underlying medical conditions that put them at increased risk, living in shelters, group homes and correctional facilities and belong to racialized or marginalized communities disproportionately affected by COVID.
Neither the province nor NACI is recommending boosters for the general population of youth in this age group, Reimer said. Only those who meet the criteria are eligible.
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“Right now it looks like those low-risk youth are well-protected against severe outcomes and continue to be well-protected,” Reimer said. “The only way that recommendation would change is if there’s evidence showing that booster dose is that important to that age group to reduce the risk of severe disease for them.”
Public health will continue to use Pfizer, to minimize the small risk associated with myocarditis and/or pericarditis. This inflammation of heart tissues is extremely rare and mild when it occurs after vaccination. Preliminary safety data from the real-world use of boosters in teens showed no additional safety concerns.
“It almost always fully resolves without any severe long-term consequences,” said Reimer.
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Parents or guardians of children who don’t fit into the eligibility categories, but still feel they should receive a booster, should discuss their individual circumstances with their family doctor or pediatrician.
Manitoba had three new COVID-positive cases admitted to ICU Sunday and 27 in the last week, said Matear. As of midnight Sunday, there were 109 adult patients in ICU including 47 receiving COVID care, well above the pre-pandemic baseline capacity of 72 patients.
“We’re very much looking forward to having this wave in our rear-view mirror. But we’re not there yet, although we’re headed in the right direction,” he said.
The province reported Monday that the number of COVID hospital admissions last week was down 19% from the previous week and new admissions to intensive care units also dropped 19%.
“Things in the health-care system are showing signs of slowing but don’t misinterpret that as anything resembling normal,” Matear added. “It’s very busy. There’s still many staff redeployed away from their normal duties to support the care of COVID patients and there are many Manitobans who continue to wait for procedures.”
gdawkins@postmedia.com
Twitter: @SunGlenDawkins
Manitoba youth at high risk from COVID recommended third vaccine dose - Winnipeg Sun
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