P.E.I.'s top doctor wants more Islanders eligible for free RSV vaccine
P.E.I.'s Chief Public Health Officer is working towards expanding eligibility for RSV vaccines as the province experiences high levels of respiratory illnesses this season.
Dr. Heather Morrison said with three months still left in the respiratory season, the province is currently seeing significant levels of respiratory syncytial virus, influenza and COVID-19, which are putting a strain on the system.
"That combination certainly has an impact on the community, and it has an impact on our healthcare services as well," she told CBC's Island Morning.
"Looking at these numbers, knowing what is happening across the country as well as in certain jurisdictions, I think we are working certainly towards broader eligibility coverage for RSV vaccine programs, both for infants and older adults," she said.
RSV season on the Island began slightly earlier than last year, Morrison said, with 262 lab-confirmed cases of RSV and 36 hospitalizations reported to date. That compares to just over 400 total cases last season.
The most affected age groups are young children aged 0-4 and adults over 65, Morrison noted.
High-risk infants on P.E.I. have been offered a passive immunizing agent, while those 60 and above in long-term and community care facilities have access to an RSV vaccine.
While she would like to see RSV vaccine eligibility expanded to babies up to two years old and Islanders 75 years and older, Morrison said that will require an approval and funding process.
Flu and COVID-19
As for influenza, Morrison said the peak is arriving later than in previous years, and cases have yet to reach their highest point.
Flu seasons naturally vary from year to year, she said, as there can be different strains circulating, and their timing can shift.
Morrison noted, however, that most of the individuals hospitalized for both COVID-19 and influenza have not been up to date with their vaccinations.
"In this respiratory season, we've had 57 hospitalizations for COVID. Only six of those have been up to date with their COVID vaccine. And of the influenza hospitalizations to date, none of them have had their vaccine," Morrison said.
"So I want to emphasize that to just demonstrate some of the importance of reducing your risk of hospitalization if you are vaccinated."
"We'll be certainly evaluating the whole RSV season and RSV immunization at the end of the season. I do think we will see some lowering of the RSV numbers over the next number of weeks."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
CancerCare clears staff to use main doors
CancerCare will allow staff to use the main doors into the building 'going forward' after the nurses union says their members were forced to use a hidden, more dangerous entryway without any security. Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said nurses and other staff were asked to begin using a door on the west side of the building starting during the COVID-19 pandemic, as patients were screened for the virus at the main door, but have continued to receive memos from CancerCare since then asking that staff refrain from using the main doors. 'There often are individuals lying passed out by the door, there's often people hanging out back there because it's a hidden area,' Jackson said Tuesday. 'It's not safe.' MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES The Manitoba Nurses Union president says nurses and other staff were asked to begin using a door on the west side of the CancerCare Manitoba building during the COVID-19 pandemic, as patients were screened for the virus at the main door. Jackson said that a nurse who recently tried to use the main doors after a person was blocking the west side entrance was denied and scolded by security, with another memo from HSC following. 'It is such an unsafe area for these nurses to have to utilize, and I fail to see why they couldn't use the front door as they did in the past,' she said. CancerCare has five other entrances around the 675 McDermot Ave. building, and staff had been asked to use other doors during the pandemic, but the practice has continued since, said spokesperson Twylla Krueger, to help manage congestion during peak clinic hours and allow security to focus on patient access. 'That said, going forward, staff are permitted to use the front entrance, while still asking for their co-operation to prioritize these doors for patients during our clinical hours,' she said in an email. The change comes after a string of violent incidents at the nearby Health Sciences Centre campus that Jackson said has spread to CancerCare. About a month ago, she said a nurse reported being randomly slapped by a person in the area while walking from the parkade to CancerCare. A nurse working at CancerCare who spoke with the Free Press on the condition of anonymity said they had been recently told the change was made to protect 'patient confidentiality,' but expressed skepticism. 'Well, I laughed. Every person that works in this building takes a (Personal Health Information Act) pledge,' they said. CancerCare's statement, which asks that staff 'prioritize these doors for patients during our clinical hours' falls short of what's needed for safety, the nurse said, noting peak patient care hours at CancerCare are between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. 'Ninety-five per cent of the staff in this building work 8 to 4:15… it's just a joke,' they said. Earlier this month, MNU members voted to 'grey list' the Health Sciences Centre, a union tactic that would see members discourage other nurses from taking on new jobs or available shifts at the hospital, after four women and a teenage girl were sexually assaulted on or around the campus grounds on July 2. In a memo sent to HSC staff last week obtained by the Free Press, interim president and CEO of Shared Health Dr. Chris Christodoulou said a meeting was held with 'multiple partners to address the safety concerns… as highlighted in the recent grey-listing announcement.' The memo announced four town halls, scheduled on different days in August and ranging from 60 to 75 minutes long, would be held in the food court for staff to express their concerns to the HSC executive. 'We do not take this situation lightly,' Christodoulou said in the memo. 'The road ahead may be complex, but I believe by collaborating and fostering an environment of openness and respect, we can drive the positive change needed to improve the safety and well-being of everyone at Health Sciences Centre.' Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. Jackson said she has not heard from Shared Health on the vote and expressed concern with the public location of the town halls. 'I do not think it (is) conducive for individuals to be really honest with what was happening,' she said. A Shared Health spokesperson said they held a two-hour meeting with the president of MNU's local at HSC on Aug. 8, the same day as the grey-listing vote. 'Private meetings are also available for those who prefer to speak confidentially,' the spokesperson said in an email. 'Future drop-in meetings will be scheduled at varying times to maximize accessibility.' Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Toronto Star
11 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Alberta government to cover COVID-19 shots for health-care workers in policy reversal
EDMONTON - In a partial policy reversal, Alberta's government said Tuesday it will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers. Maddison McKee, spokesperson to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange, said in an email that COVID-19 vaccine coverage will be extended to all health-care workers this fall under the first phase of the province's vaccination rollout.
Winnipeg Free Press
11 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
CP NewsAlert: Alberta to pay for COVID shots for health workers in policy reversal
EDMONTON – Alberta's government says it will cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers in a partial policy reversal. It comes two months after the government said most Albertans, including health workers, would have to pay for COVID-19 shots this fall. Public health experts and health-care unions called it irresponsible to force front-line workers to pay for protection in the workplace. Premier Danielle Smith has said the aim of the new policy is to prevent wastage, after some $135 million was spent on unused doses. The government hasn't finalized how much other Albertans will need to pay, but an estimated cost to buy each shot is $110. The province says those who have compromised immune systems, people on social programs and seniors in congregate settings will be covered. More coming.
