It’s respiratory illness season and there’s still time to receive COVID-19 shots and flu vaccines, says the medical officer of health for Lakelands Public Health.
Dr. Thomas Piggott, who is also CEO of Lakelands Public Health — the Kawarthas-region health unit formed by a merger of Peterborough Public Health and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit — spoke about the importance of vaccination during his monthly update at November’s board of health meeting.
“A reminder it’s not too late to get your COVID, flu, and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) shots,” Dr. Piggott said. “Those provide tremendously important protection this fall. COVID and flu shots, which are recommended for nearly everybody — at least those six months and older — are available at your local pharmacy.”
Dr. Piggott expressed his appreciation for pharmacists who are doing the bulk of the work related to administering vaccines.
“That’s important protection this fall as viruses are transmitting more,” he noted.
He said media coverage that this year’s flu shot may not be a perfect match for the H3N2 strain of the influenza virus suggests there’s a bit more of a “vaccine escape apparently, at least in relation to the transmission that we’ve seen in the southern hemisphere just proceeding our own flu season, which is starting now.”
“Certainly, that is concerning, and we continue to watch that development, but the key message is that the flu shot still does provide important protection against other strains of influenza that we will see, but also against (H3N2). Certainly, if (there’s) not full protection, there (will) be protection against severity,” Dr. Piggott said.
“That protection is incredibly important, especially for children who do get very sick and die from influenza and older Canadians as well, so they’re important vaccines for everyone.”
In relation to RSV, Dr. Piggott noted the RSV vaccine is being offered again this year, and to an expanded group of older adults. The RSV vaccine is available through family physicians for the most part, and those who don’t have a family doctor can call Lakelands Public Health to access a vaccine clinic.
“That vaccine is not a part of the public program this year at pharmacies, so we continue to collaborate around getting access to that important protection for people,” Dr. Piggott said. “That’s not at the stage of annual protection — it might be only every number of years (for) multi-year protection at this point. We don’t know exactly how long that will last, but repeating with RSV is not recommended at this stage.”
The Ontario government announced in late August that it was expanding the RSV prevention program this fall to include all people aged 75 years and older, aiming to help protect those who are most vulnerable during the respiratory illness season.
RSV immunization is available through Ontario’s publicly funded RSV immunization programs to all individuals aged 75 and older, building on last year’s expansion of the programs that also includes certain high-risk adults aged 60 to 74, such as residents of long-term care homes or retirement homes, infants up to eight months of age in their first RSV season, and high-risk children up to 24 months of age in their second RSV season.
Pregnant women will have the option to receive the RSV vaccine Abrysvo, which can help provide protection to infants at birth, information from the province notes. Eligible newborns, infants, and high-risk children can receive the Beyfortus immunization.
“RSV is a major contributor to illness and hospitalizations,” said Dr. Chris Simpson, chief medical executive for Ontario Health, in a media release. “Fortunately, RSV immunization is safe and extraordinarily effective.”
“This vaccine coverage will save lives and help to improve quality of life for older Ontarians by reducing the risk of serious illness and complications. It also will reduce the number of hospitalizations, which means more capacity in our health-care system during the always busy winter season.”
RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Infection is most severe in young babies and older adults and can cause serious lung infections that may require hospitalization. RSV infection can also make chronic health problems worse.
Pregnant women should consult with their health-care provider before receiving Abrysvo, the release notes.
For more information about RSV prevention programs, visit the Ontario government website.
