Now is not the time to be ‘vaccine shopping’, says infectious disease doctor

With variants of concern spreading aggressively and quickly in Saskatchewan — particularly in the southern part of the province — a Regina doctor says now is not the time to be “vaccine shopping,” cancelling appointments or avoiding the AstraZeneca vaccine if it’s offered.

Dr. Alexander Wong, who specializes in infectious diseases, says it takes anywhere from 10 to 14 days for a person’s body to mount a response and develop protection against the COVID-19 virus. That time frame could literally mean the difference between life and death for some people.

He adds he has never seen the degree of scrutiny over vaccines or medications as there has been over the last couple of months.

“Nothing about what has happened or hasn’t happened with the AstraZeneca vaccine is wrong or suggests AstraZeneca vaccine is bad in any way,” he said.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has changed its recommendations for the AstraZeneca vaccine several times over the past couple of months. Wong explains that’s because when data was being reviewed in March, there weren’t enough patients over the age of 65 to say it was effective.

As NACI got more information, that recommendation changed.

Since then, there has also been additional information about a rare but real association between the AstraZeneca vaccine and potentially serious or fatal blood clots. The clots have so far affected mainly women under the age of 55.

However, Wong says that needs to be put into perspective as well. The chances of a blood clot are about 1 in 90,000 or 100,000.

“If you get on a plane to go, say, from Toronto to Vancouver, your risk of getting a blood clot in the leg as a result of sitting on a plane for four hours is mainly like 1 in 5,000, which is 20 times greater than the risk of getting a blood clot basically with something like AstraZeneca vaccine,” he said.

Wong cautions that as people get older, the likelihood of severe outcomes from COVID-19 becomes much higher, but the chances of being hospitalized or dying after receiving the vaccines — including AstraZeneca — are “pretty much zero.”

“And so getting a dose of vaccine or getting fully vaccinated is literally the difference potentially between having the sniffles and having to stay home for a few days versus being in the ICU intubated or being in a box,” he said.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says it does not track the number of people who are now refusing to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, but does acknowledge that “unfortunately, this is occurring at some of our clinics.”

Wong understands people want to get the vaccines of their choice. But there’s no guarantee someone who cancels their appointment or simply doesn’t book one in the hopes of getting an mRNA vaccine, like Pfizer or Moderna, will get their wish.

“The obligation is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible with whatever it is that we can provide,” Wong said. “At the end of the day, if we can only give AstraZeneca to people over the age of 55, that makes complete sense.

“That two or three weeks can literally mean the difference between life and death unless you know basically with complete confidence that you can basically exist in a bubble and not get COVID.”

Ultimately, though, he says it’s up to people to take the time to learn and understand all the science and incidence of variants in their areas. If there are very few variants of concern cases, then waiting might be OK.

“At the same time, if you are living pretty much anywhere in southern Saskatchewan, there’s huge community transmission going on,” said Wong.

“People are getting sick left, right and centre. There’s outbreaks happening everywhere. Nobody is immune in any way. You are really rolling the dice and taking your chances in terms of waiting.”

He said one of the most important questions people should be asking themselves is: “Can I guarantee I’m not going to get sick, (that) I’m not going to get COVID between now and then?”

SHA vaccination update

Drive-through and walk-in clinics are running in Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current and Yorkton, and two more drive-through clinics are to start up Tuesday.

A clinic will run Tuesday and Wednesday in North Battleford at 391 Yellowhead Alley. Its hours of operation are 9:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. A drive-through in Humboldt will open Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. and close at 9 a.m., at the Jubilee Hall Convention Centre (Door No. 8 of the Uniplex).

Both are first come, first served.

Meanwhile, the eligibility for booking vaccination appointments remains the same for Tuesday.

People 55 years of age and older can make appointments online or by calling 1-833-727-5829 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Anyone aged 50 to 54 living in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District, all remaining Phase 1 health-care workers, and people with underlying health conditions who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable can book by phone.