Don't take COVID lightly this long weekend, research group warns

Prince Edward Islanders should be mindful while celebrating Easter that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, says a research group established by the federal government to advise on pandemic policy.

With average cases reaching over 300 per day in P.E.I., it is still very important to be vigilant, especially if we want to protect our most vulnerable citizens, said CoVaRR-Net in a news release.

Among other precautions, the research group recommends getting a booster dose.

"Because neutralizing antibodies wane over time, protection against infection from Omicron is almost gone by six months after a person's last shot, but this protection rises quickly after a booster dose," said CoVaRR-Net member Sarah Otto, a specialist in computational biology at the University of B.C.

P.E.I., which has been a national leader in getting people fully vaccinated with either a one-dose or two-dose vaccine, has been slower to get boosters into people.

The province got off to a slow start in January, with only 35 per cent boosted by the end of the month, compared to the national average of 41 per cent. It had caught up by the end of February, but growth is flattening out.

More than half of Islanders still haven't received a booster dose.

Raywat Deonandan, a University of Ottawa epidemiology professor, said in an email that Islanders should not take comfort in having a slightly above average rate for booster shots.

"The rate of three-dose vaccination in every province is, frankly, crap," said Deonandan.

University of Toronto information professor and epidemiologist Colin Furness said the trouble may be that, just as the research group fears, people are taking the virus too lightly, and that may be a particular problem on P.E.I., which has escaped some of the more serious outbreaks experienced by other provinces.

"When the virus really takes hold, perhaps people get frightened and get vaccinated," said Furness.

"In other words, some people get vaccinated as a precaution, but many may do so out of fear. Absent the fear, lower vaxx rates prevail."