As Omicron spreads across Canada, Sask. NDP calls for expansion to COVID-19 booster shots
Official Opposition Leader Ryan Meili is calling for a plan to expand availability of COVID-19 booster shots for Saskatchewan residents 18 and over as the Omicron variant spreads across the country.
“With this new variant and a fifth wave on the horizon, now is the time to be proactive. The (Saskatchewan Health Authority) has already warned that it's not a matter of if but a matter of when Saskatchewan will go through a fifth wave,” Meili said in a news release.
"This government has so far refused to learn from the previous waves, instead choosing to play politics and pander instead of listening to the advice of experts. We can’t afford to let the Sask. Party get this wrong again.”
The NDP’s demand comes the same day as the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended adults over 50 be offered COVID-19 boosters, while those aged 18 to 49 “may” be offered boosters based on individual risks and where they live.
This updated advice comes after the federal government requested on Tuesday that NACI “quickly” review its guidance on prioritizing COVID-19 booster shots in light of concerns over the Omicron variant.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Canada has reported seven confirmed cases of the Omicron variant and has since banned travel into the country from a host of African nations, including South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt.
The cases were in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
While it remains unclear just how transmissible and severe infection by the variant B.1.1.529 might be, because Omicron is highly mutated health officials have expressed concerns that it may be more vaccine-resistant.
As has been the case throughout the pandemic, provinces and territories are responsible for deciding their vaccine rollout eligibility strategies and whether or not to follow NACI’s recommendations.
According to the Sask. NDP, Thursday night’s physician’s town hall relayed that when it came to a fifth wave, it was not a matter of “if” but a matter of “when.”
The SHA has identified three factors in the scale and timing of the fifth wave:
- the rate of waning immunity
- population behaviour (as it relates to social gatherings and mixing)
- the unknown impact of the Omicron variant.
“We’re just coming out of the deadliest fourth wave in the country. Our healthcare system has still not recovered. There are patients in desperate need of life-saving surgeries and we won’t be able to get through the backlog if Saskatchewan sees skyrocketing hospitalizations, as we did during the last wave,” Meili said.
“Expanding third dose availability is key to keeping the fifth wave under control.”
Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman said Monday that officials in the province are keeping a close watch on developments around Omicron.
Merriman said the best defense against COVID-19 and its variants is to get fully vaccinated.
Currently, health care workers, those who are immunocompromised and people aged 65 and older can get their booster shot. People 50 and older in the Far North and living on First Nations are also eligible.
Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said Wednesday that eligibility could open up for more people in the coming days and weeks.
With files from Rachel Aiello and Ben Cousins.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.