Waterloo Region’s top doctor talks 4th doses and new subvariant

Waterloo Region’s top doctor says there’s no indication a broad recommendation for fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine will be coming anytime soon.

“I’m not hearing anything in the short term,” medical officer of health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said at a Waterloo Regional Council meeting on Wednesday. “There may be perhaps a recommendation before the next winter respiratory season, for example. But as we’ve seen throughout the pandemic things could change, so we’ll have to keep monitoring and I’ll keep council posted.”

Dr. Wang also told council current immunization and infection rates are expected to offer a significant level of community immunity to the new Omicron subvariant BA.2 currently circulating.

She's anticipating more cases as public health measures ease, but not anticipating the same level of impact on the healthcare system as the Omicron wave earlier this year.

The region continues to work with the University of Waterloo to monitor COVID-19 levels in wastewater samples.