Sask. youth eligible for bivalent COVID vaccine

Saskatchewan opened the door for youth to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent vaccine this week, and an epidemiologist says it's the best protection against infection as new strains of the virus emerge. 

The province announced on Friday that beginning Monday Saskatchewan residents aged 12 and older could receive the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine four months after their most recent COVID-19 vaccination. The bivalent booster became available to all adults in Saskatchewan in late September.

The Moderna and Pfizer bivalent doses are expected to provide better protection against the Omicron variant, which account for the majority of cases in Saskatchewan, according to data collected from researchers studying the COVID-19 viral load in wastewater in Saskatchewan cities.

Nazeem Muhajarine, professor in community health and epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan, says at the moment Alberta and Saskatchewan are neck and neck when it comes to the lowest vaccine uptake rates among Canadian provinces.

"I think the implication of this low uptake is that people who don't have up-to-date vaccines … are running the risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes if they were to get COVID-19 — which most people are getting these days," he said. 

According to the Canadian government's COVID-19 vaccination coverage page, which has data recorded up to Oct. 9, Saskatchewan ranks among the lowest for vaccine uptake in almost every category. 

Saskatchewan residents only reach the middle of the pack when it comes to having four doses doses total at 15.1 per cent of people compared with the Canadian average of 14.3 per cent.

"The low uptake really means that you're vulnerable to being repeatedly infected and most importantly at this point in time what I really worry about is post-COVID conditions: long-COVID," Muhajarine said.

"People having their life compromised — they're not able to work the way they would want to, not being able to interact with friends and family."

Muhajarine says long COVID can impede cognitive functions or lead to mobility issues.

He says researchers are investigating the effects of vaccination on long-COVID, and while there are no definitive results, initial findings suggest vaccinations ease post-COVID illness.

WATCH | Ontario, Sask. open bivalent vaccines to 12 and older:

Pfizer bivalent vaccine available in Ont., Sask. to those 12 and up

2 years ago

Duration 3:49

Pfizer's COVID-19 booster vaccine is now available to people 12 years of age and older in Ontario and Saskatchewan.

Canada's top doctor recommends bivalent

The nation's top doctor, Dr. Theresa Tam, also urged Canadians to get the bivalent vaccine to stave off a resurgence of COVID-19 this fall. 

Tam went as far as to suggest that while the decision to restore COVID restrictions will be a provincial call, Canadians should get vaccinated if they want to avoid a return to more aggressive pandemic measures.

"Overall, population immunity may be falling and leaving us less protected," Tam said during an appearance before MPs on the Commons health committee. 

"Hospitalizations are elevated or actually increasing in some areas and this could be an early sign of a fall resurgence."

Muhajarine says there were 4,700 hospitalizations daily in Canada from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, compared with about 2,000 for the same period in 2021.

New strains of virus

In the United States, the BQ.1.1 and BQ.1.11 subvariants now account for about 10 per cent of cases. 

Those strains have been detected in Regina, according to data from researchers at University of Regina who have been examining the viral load of COVID-19 in wastewater.

Initial studies found it, alongside the BA.2.75.2 strain of the virus, were "the most antibody-evasive," according to a preprint lab study from China that hasn't been peer reviewed yet.

In Regina, the university's most recent data showed an astonishing spike in viral levels detected in the city. 

Elsewhere, the University of Saskatchewan — which has been examining the wastewater in Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford — found viral levels are on a downward trend in all three cities.

Muhajarine says the bivalent vaccines aren't targeting the BQ.1.1 and BQ.1.11 subvariants, but because it comes from the same type of family tree, the bivalent vaccines are still a smart option.

"This is the best we have right now," he said.

He added that people should continue to mask indoors for long periods, and ensure ventilation and filtration systems at home and work are in good working order.