Shahab urges ‘hunkering down’ in communities with high COVID case numbers

Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer urged residents to lay low as weeks remain before adults at highest risk to COVID-19 are vaccinated.

“We have about eight weeks to go before everyone 50-plus is vaccinated, and two weeks post-vaccine because your immunity starts developing two weeks post-vaccine,” Dr. Saqib Shahab told Gormley on Wednesday.

With variants of concern spreading, Shahab said higher transmission can be expected.

“What it means for Regina and increasingly for other communities in the south is just hunkering down even more, sticking to your household as much as possible (and there’s a) cap on worship sizes up to 30,” he said.

“(With) Easter weekend coming up — and that’s unfortunate — but the last thing we need in Regina is a superspreader event. We haven’t had any over the last three months. But that will really cause yet another bigger surge.”

Shahab also encouraged patients to take the first vaccine offered to them, including the AstraZeneca shot.

There have been a few reports of patients developing blood clots after getting vaccinated but Shahab said those cases have been extremely remote.

Accordingly, Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization has paused usage of AstraZeneca vaccine on those 55 and under.

“(The) U.K. has given the most AstraZeneca, millions of doses. They did not see that signal,” Shahab said.

“At age 50 and over, your risk from serious illness and death from COVID is far, far, far higher, hundreds of times higher than any low-risk side effects from the vaccine.”

Shahab also indicated that vaccine shopping, or refusing a dose from one manufacturer in favour of another, will be unlikely.

He said vaccine supply is tight and there’s usually only one vaccine available at the point of delivery.

Delaying vaccination based on personal whims is not something he would recommend.

“If you have a contraindication to a specific vaccine, that’s one thing. But if you want to get a vaccine that you want that isn’t available and you have to wait for a few weeks, that is entirely a personal decision,” Shahab said.

“It’s not worth the wait. The risk of getting seriously ill … is far higher than any perceived benefits from a vaccine preference.”