Health officials urge residents to get booster shot before the fall season

With fall right around the corner, health officials are reminding the public to get a booster shot when they become available. They say early signs show COVID-19 and other respiratory infections are trending up.

This week, the Public Health Agency of Canada indicated COVID-19 infections could be on the rise across the country as the World Health Organization tracks a new strain of the virus.

“I think we’re at a place now where all of us ought to be thoughtful and cautious about what the future may hold,” said Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, associate medical officer of health in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph.

Despite remaining cautious, he added that there is no need to sound the alarm just yet.

“Over the course of the pandemic we’ve followed a number of indicators to help us understand what the risk is in our community and across Ontario,” said Dr. Tenenbaum. “Things like number of cases, numbers of hospitalizations, data from our wastewater signals.

While those signals have decreased in the summer, fall is expected to be a high-risk season.

“I’ve heard some thing about new variants and things like that,” said one local. “It worries me, but I know we aren’t where we were a few years ago. We have more information and tools in our hands.”

Officials are recommending that those who are eligible should protect themselves this fall.

“If makes sense to get a booster this fall and also as we enter a period of higher risk. If we have our community well-immunized with a vaccine that’s effective and safe, we can help blunt that risk of transmission best we can,” said Dr. Tenenbaum.

Experts warn it’s not just COVID-19 the public should be mindful of. There is a chance we could enter another ‘triple threat’ of respiratory viruses come fall, with flu and RSV concerns.

“Last season was quite dramatic and it was quite atypical,” Dr. Tenenbaum said. “That may reflect on the fact that we’re returning to a more normal societal state after having different public health measures in place during the pandemic.”