Is it true that viruses always mutate to be more transmissible and less severe?
We asked high-consequence pathogen expert Dr. Jason Kindrachuk. His answer: not necessarily. And, from what we’ve seen so far, not with COVID-19.
Stay tuned for more videos where Jason answers your top variant questions!
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Is it true that viruses always mutate to be more transmissible and less severe?
There are a lot of great reasons to get your COVID-19 booster
Better protection against Omicron infection (1)
Better protection against severe disease and hospitalization (1)
Better protection against new and upcoming variants (2)
But some might be hesitant because they see boosters as new and unexpected. Though booster shots are newly available to most Canadians, the possibility that they’d be needed has been on the table for a long time.
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There are *lots* of great reasons to get a COVID-19 booster. Better protection against Omicron, severe disease and hospitalization, and new variants… (1,2)
But some people are unsure about boosters. They see them as new or unexpected.
We’ve heard this line of thinking from our friends and family. But we’re here to tell you that getting COVID-19 isn’t inevitable and now isn’t the time to throw our hands in the air. ♀️
The Omicron variant may be less likely to cause lung damage and severe disease, but it is not mild. We need more data to better understand the potential impact of Omicron on the population (1).
Omicron is spreading very easily, and hospitals are stretched. Hospitalizations are climbing FAST. Between Jan 3 and Jan 10, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Canada jumped from 4,113 to 6,926 and 290 more COVID-19 patients were admitted to an ICU. (2)
We get that talking about “flattening the curve” gives serious 2020 déjà vu. But it’s truly what we need to do! Healthcare workers are not just dealing with record case numbers – they are severely short staffed. There are several reasons for this, including healthcare workers becoming infected with COVID-19 (3, 4). The effects of this wave goes beyond this virus – our ENTIRE healthcare system becomes unstable
Everyone will NOT get COVID-19, and slowing the spread matters. We know many of you are doing all you can and will still become infected, that’s OK. There is no shame in getting COVID (it’s a pandemic, it’s not your fault). Vaccines will help you stay out of the hospital. Let’s continue to care for each other. If infected, isolate and let close contacts know. Continue to layer on protection (masks, ventilation, limit gatherings) and get your first, second or booster shot. Any reduction in transmission can save lives.
As our friend Ed Yong wrote just before Christmas, “The infectious nature of a virus means that a tiny bad decision can cause exponential harm, but also that a tiny wise decision can do exponential good.” (5)
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“Should I get Omicron and just get it over with?”
NOPE! ♀️
We’ve heard this line of thinking from our friends and family. But we’re here to tell you that getting COVID-19 isn’t inevitable and now isn’t the time to throw our hands in the air.
Don’t underestimate “mild” – COVID-19 isn’t a chicken wing
Let’s start with the good news. The latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron, is less likely to do lung damage based on experimental evidence (1,2,3). Per person infected, there are lower rates of hospitalization and death than previous variants (4). But, what’s mild for an individual might not be mild for a community. Omicron is still hospitalizing and killing people.
If Omicron is half as dangerous to an individual as Delta, but twice as many people are exposed, then the community experiences the same risk.
The bad news: Omicron is more transmissible than all previous variants (5). We’ve seen the highest number of cases reported so far in the pandemic (and with limited testing, these are an underestimate) (6). More infections means more hospitalizations than previous waves. We’re already seeing hospital and ICU cases growing in Canada (7,8). The number of kids hospitalized is record high in the US and parts of Canada (9, 10).
Here is some hopeful news. Though infection rates are similar between vaccinated and unvaccinated, the rates of hospitalization and ICU are significantly lower among those with a vaccine (11,12). Protection is even stronger when you have three doses (13). The vaccines are doing their job. Today is a great day to book your first, second, or third dose.
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Don’t underestimate “mild” – COVID-19 isn’t a chicken wing
There’s confusion around the severity of Omicron, let’s get into it
We know “heart inflammation” sounds scary. Here’s what you need to know about myocarditis/pericarditis following an mRNA vaccine and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) new recommendation.
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We know “heart inflammation” sounds scary.
Here’s what you need to know about myocarditis/pericarditis following an mRNA vaccine and the new recs from NACI (National Advisory Committee on Immunization)
Worried the children’s vaccine was developed too quickly? Nervous about long-term side effects?
Dr. Jesse Papenburg, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, reassures that the children’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe, even in the long-term.
Jesse Papenburg is an Assistant Professor at McGill University in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Many thanks to him for collaborating with us on this video!
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Worried the children’s vaccine was developed too quickly? Nervous about long-term side effects?
Dr. Jesse Papenburg, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, reassures us that the children's COVID-19 vaccine is safe, even in the long-term.
We’re here to talk about Spike. No, not your dog or the sexy vampire!
Spike Protein and all the persistent pieces of misinformation that come with it.
Here’s a quick summary:
Vaccine generated spikes are *not* the same as the ones on the virus
Vaccine generated spikes are safe
Vaccine generated spikes activate an effective immune response
Vaccine generated spikes *do not* harm your organs, red blood cells, or ovaries
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We’re here to set the record straight on spike proteins.
Here’s why the spike proteins generated via the vaccine are safe, activate an effective immune response, and are *not the same* as the spike on the virus.
Eager to get your younger kiddo vaccinated? Vaccines for children under 5 may be coming soon!
Sabina Vohra-Miller (@unambiguousscience), MSc Pharmacology and founder of Unambiguous Science, explains when we can expect approval for kids 2 – 5 followed by 6mo – 2. Clinical trials usually follow an “age de-escalation” strategy. This means healthy adults are given the vaccine first in early trials. Then trials for sequentially younger children follow to make sure the vaccine is as safe and effective.The next age group is 2-5 and we can expect clinical trial data by the end of this year. If safe and effective we can expect approval as early as February 2022!
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Eager to get your kiddo vaccinated? Vaccines for children under 5 may be coming soon!
Sabina Vohra-Miller (@SabiVM), MSc Pharmacology and founder of Unambiguous Science, explains when we can expect approval for kids 2 – 5 followed by 6mo – 2.
What about kids on the cusp (eg. turning 12 soon)? Should they wait to get vaccinated?
Sabina Vohra-Miller, MSc Pharmacology and Founder of Unambiguous Science – @unambiguousscience explains why your kid should start vaccination as soon as possible.
Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids 5-11 today. But NACI’s recommendation for dose intervals is different from Health Canada’s approval. What’s up with that?
Health Canada authorizes vaccines based on clinical trial data. Pfizer tested the vaccines with 3 week intervals, so that’s what Health Canada approved. ✅
NACI recommends how best to use the authorized vaccine. An interval of at least 8 weeks may contribute added efficacy and safety on an already very safe, effective and high-quality vaccine.
Read through for more information on the different recommendations for dose intervals!
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Health Canada approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids 5-11 today.
NACI has also provided recommendations on how best to use the vaccines, including dose interval.
Let’s discuss why they recommend at least 8 weeks between doses.
