Don't ditch vaccine appointment because you're getting Moderna: public health

Hamilton's medical officer of health says locals are walking away from vaccine appointments without getting their first dose because they're hesitant about getting the Moderna shot.

"People show up and when they find out it is Moderna that's available for them, they're choosing to go and rebook their appointment rather than receive that Moderna shot," Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said during a general issues committee meeting Wednesday.

"There is no issue whatsoever when it comes to the Moderna vaccine versus the Pfizer. They are very, very similar vaccines and very, very effective … that is one of the challenges we're facing."

Dr. Zain Chagla is co-medical director of infection control and an infectious diseases physician at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. Chagla said in an interview Wednesday morning he believes people trust the Pfizer-BioNTech brand and don't know as much about Moderna, even though they are both mRNA vaccines, which teach the body how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response to help ward off the virus.

"People think every other vaccine is not as good as Pfizer ... people don't realize this is Coke and Pepsi, right? They're the same relative vaccine, they code pretty much the same region of the spike protein, they use the same technology, there's one more additive in Moderna that's not in Pfizer, so some people may have allergies to it, but that's a very small percentage of the population."

Chagla also said some people may be concerned Canada's Moderna supply may leave them in limbo for a second shot, but the country has had a good supply.

Richardson said people should take the first vaccine they're offered.

The advice comes after the province halted use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine as a first dose because of supply issues and safety concerns around rare but serious blood clots.

On the question of whether the city is throwing out any vaccinations, Richardson said "absolutely not."

City poised to open sports courts and stairs

While the province confirmed it won't return to the colour-coded framework for COVID-19 rules when the stay-at-home is lifted, Paul Johnson, director of Hamilton's emergency operations centre, said the city has no information on what people should expect. 

Johnson said the city has no plans  to approve any large-scale in-person events for the summer, but is anticipating opening basketball courts, tennis courts and the escarpment stairs when the stay-home order is lifted. 

"All we have to do is remove locks from our courts and they can be open," he said, noting some might be briefly closed down for maintenance that can only be done in good weather.

"When that announcement comes, we'll be ready and able to do that."

Johnson also urged people to follow the rules heading into this Victoria Day long weekend.

"The real fear is this weekend becomes another event where things go up again."

Kids 12 and up to get vaccinated soon

Richardson said public health is wrapping up planning with local school boards about how vaccinations for ages 12 and up will unfold.

She believes the province will allow them to get Pfizer-BioNTech shots the week of May 31. They'll be able to book appointments through the province and will also be special clinics the weeks of June 14 and June 21.

"We do know there are kids who have special needs, and we want to create an atmosphere and a place where people can be vaccinated that have those kinds of needs," she said.

"While it will open up earlier than that, those particular weeks are ones where we're going to be focusing to do things that are particularly family friendly."

Over 50% of eligible adults vaccinated

Richardson said more than 50 per cent of eligible people in Hamilton have been vaccinated, a "tremendous milestone for us in terms of moving forward."

The city website said 252,370 doses had been administered as of Monday evening.

Richardson said thousands of appointments will open up in the coming days as the city gets more vaccines. Earlier this week, when anyone 18 and older became eligible to get immunized, local appointments were filled quickly.

She said mobile clinics for equity-seeking communities will continue.