Sask. Opposition calls for all 12 and older to be eligible for booster shots due to omicron concerns

Saskatchewan Opposition Leader Ryan Meili is calling for the provincial government to accelerate its rollout of third doses of vaccines to protect against an expected rise in cases due the omicron variant.

On Monday, Canada's chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said she expects cases to "rapidly escalate" in the coming days.

Tam said there is evidence of "waning immunity" from COVID-19 infections and vaccinations, and called for booster doses and for people to follow public health recommendations, including limiting their contacts.

Meili said he would like to see a proactive response to the variant from the Saskatchewan government, including offering third shots of vaccine to those 12 and over, depending on supply and provided it has been five months since their second shot.

"If we've got vaccine and we've got people willing to take it, let's get that moving as quickly as we can."

Meili pointed to a report from the United Kingdom that suggested two doses of mRNA vaccine offer less protection against omicron than the delta variant. It found a third dose of mRNA vaccine provided 70 to 75 per cent protection against mild disease.

The U.K. report confirmed widespread community transmission of omicron and a higher rate of re-infections and household outbreaks compared to delta, with more than one million omicron cases projected in the next month.

"We've learned how important it is that we don't wait until we're in a crisis before we act. It is absolutely necessary that we don't wait until hospitals are full before we try to keep people safe."

Last week, Saskatchewan expanded booster dose eligibility to people 50 and older, people 18 and older in the north or First Nations communities, all health-care workers, and people with underlying health conditions.

It also reduced the wait between doses from six months to five.

Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said third shots would be expanded to those under the age of 50 in early 2022.

"We're learning that three is the new two. Let's have an omicron plan and show we're ready to get ahead of this."

He said the government should also determine whether third doses will one day be the requirement for proof of vaccination.

Meili also called for a plan from the government for what would happen if there were another rise in cases. He also said the government should provide clear guidelines on Christmas gatherings.

Last Wednesday, after the first cases of the omicron variant were discovered in Saskatchewan, Health Minister Paul Merriman said Shahab told him in a meeting the government's response to the variant was "status quo."

The latest federal modelling data in Canada suggests country-wide coronavirus cases could quadruple to 12,000 a day in January if "omicron successfully establishes." 

The most up-to-date figures provided by Ontario's science table show omicron has a reproduction number roughly three times that of delta — and a doubling time for cases of only three days.

21% of Ontario COVID-19 cases are omicron, says science advisory table

3 years ago

Duration 9:01

Dr. Peter Jüni, scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 science advisory table, says the data in Ontario shows that the omicron variant of the coronavirus is roughly three times more transmissible as the delta variant.