So I've skimmed the papers I linked to above. It looks like the longest studies end at 8 weeks, and show good immunity. Ontario moved to extended dosing intervals (16 weeks) on March 10. So real-world data beyond 8 weeks from my province doesn't exist just yet, but will very soon (those due for second shots March 10 got extended, that's those who had their first dose Feb 17 or later; they are just beyond 9 weeks post-first dose right now). Anecdotally, we're (personally and colleagues) not seeing covid cases in folks who've been vaxxed even with just one dose. And we're seeing an awful lot of covid. I actually feel pretty good about the extended dosing scheme. It's the only real choice here, really, given that our vaccines are in such short supply.

Provincial paper summarizing the evidence. It's a month old, though. I haven't had time to go through it either.

This Government of Canada site has a section on the evidence for extending dose intervals, with a subsection on duration of immunity following a first dose, with references to studies. I haven't had time to go through it yet.

Re the bolded, agreed. We might sometimes sing "chip the glasses and crack the plates" while we are cleaning up the kitchen.

@Plumbeat me to it! Yes, that's the one. It's so lovely.

You don't have to read The Hobbit first; the LoTR will still make sense if you don't. But LoTR will be much richer and better if you do read The Hobbit first. The Hobbit is the easiest and most readable of the books too. It's quite fun. Our favourite edition of The Hobbit is the one illustrated by Jemima Catlin. There is an illustration on almost every page, and they are all very detailed and meticulously accurate with respect to the text (the dwarves all have the correct colored cloaks etc) Yes, you have to read all of the LoTR books, and read them in order - it's one continuous story. Well, of course, you don't have to do anything, but I would definitely recommend reading them all. My kids loved these on audio. They actually prefer Kara Shallenberg's recording of her reading them to her kids. The movies are worth watching, but they did go quite far "off-book". Some of the changes we liked, and some we really, really didn't. We made a school assignment out of comparing movie Eowyn with book Eowyn , from a feminist perspective.

I really don't. Good enough that they aren't even offering HCW a second dose before 4 months. I've been pretty distracted by this disaster of a third wave.

Second doses are being given at 4 months here (with very limited exceptions). We'll have a sample size of millions.

True enough. Maybe even me. One kid thinks he might like to go to high-school, the other wants to school at home forever and ever...... We'll see.

My kids are 11 and 13. No where near close to done, though. We're still very much in the thick of it, I think. I mean, you'd have to be finished 6th grade to be even halfway to 12th, right? 🙂

I think that this is exactly where this is going to go.

I did look at both of those. One seems to outline the governments powers to override rules and standards in various different sectors (basically setting themselves up to be able to make the regulation published April 21), and the other activates the ability of healthcare institutions to move workers around between facilities and to ignore work contracts with respect to things like shift times, vacations etc. Nothing to do with scope of practice, as far as I can tell. We filled out the how-far -will-you-push-your-scope of practice surveys last spring. I really do think it's going to come to that for some of us. Surgeons and anethesiologists are under-used right now (OR's shut down for all but emergency surgery). I think they are going to find themselves asked to do other work. I know some are working vaccine clinics - but that's not really the best use of their skills. OR nursing staff are all over the hospital in alternate assignments already.

That's what's actually happening on the ground where I am (that I'm seeing IRL), so far at least. ETA: that fact that a regulation like this could go into effect without any announcement or news reporting is really amazing to me. Not in a good way.

I think we are officially in crisis standards. The province quietly enacted this regulation April 21. The gist of it is that a hospital can now assign any health professional to do the job of any other health professional despite any statute, regulation, order, policy, agreement or collective agreement, regulatory college policy, practice standard or guideline, so long as it is necessary in order to respond to the pandemic. So a nurse can be assigned doctor duties. Or a doctor can be assigned nurse duties. Or a PSW assigned RN duties. Or any number of health care professionals doing the jobs of other regulated health care professionals without the usual training or meeting the usual standards. This was not announced (anywhere that I can find, at least), and hasn't been in the news. This is a very serious thing. Bleak. Dire. Pick your adjective. WTM peeps who read legalese, please tell me if I'm wrong here. But I don't think I am.

The third wave here is stressing health care resources to the max. The good news: Daily case counts seem to have plateaued in the last week or so The lower age limit for AZ vaccine was lowered to 40, and I was able to score a dose for DH! I'm so grateful to have him vaxxed. The bad news: ICU admissions and hospital admissions are climbing and not likely to stop for at least another 2 weeks. We are at 833 ICU admits province-wide (peak of 410 last wave) ICUs in the Greater Toronto Area are full, and have been for weeks. They've been shipping further and further afield. Transfers are at an all-time high (800+ so far in April, with 2nd wave monthly numbers in the 200's for March, Feb, and Jan, for comparison.) Transfers do not require consent, as per emergency order. My local hospital has taken more than 60 transfers from the GTA in the past 2 weeks. We've filled three wards, filled our ICU and now rapidly filling the make-shift, improvised second ICU. We've got a ward in a tent in the parking lot. All non-essential/non-emergent surgery cancelled, province-wide, to create capacity. Lower acuity "alternate level of care" hospital patient are being transferred to nursing homes, consent not required, as per emergency order. Staff are being moved all over the place to fill gaps. Community and homecare nurses are being pulled into hospitals, many hospital staff are being pushed up an acuity level. While no-one is being placed anywhere were they aren't technically competent on paper, lots and lots of staff are outside their comfort-zone with their new assignments. This on top of a year's worth of pandemic burnout. The provincial coroner has reported 25 deaths at home from covid since April 1, in people who didn't seek medical care. These were covid cases that deteriorated suddenly and died, found dead by roommates or family. Many were young. Percent fully vaxxed in the province remains at just over 2%. Percent with a first dose has increased to 28%. The problem remains supply. We have the infrastructure to mass vaccinate, but we don't have the vaccines on hand to do it. (The mood regarding the US export ban is somewhat sour right now. The news today that the recent AZ shipment from the US was manufactured at the Emergent plant isn't helping, even though the particular doses we got are officially just fine; there is public doubt. Too late anyway, they are mostly already in arms. One of those arms belongs to my DH.) We are still vaxxing 60+ and those with high risk medical conditions. AZ for 40+ at select pharrmacies, though those doses are pretty much all "sold out" - there was a massive rush Monday when the age limit was lowered and now the wait-lists are a mile long, with no more supply on the horizon. I think we've got about four more weeks of this. Our stay-at-home order is due to expire May 20. I hope it give us enough time.

Covid symptoms are absolute contraindication. That would include most cold symptoms.

My only beekeeping story is of treating a beekeeper for severe anaphylaxis to bee stings. She was advised that she might want to consider a new hobby.

@bolt. I don't know if you've seen this University of Cambridge risk/benefit decision aid . I found it really helpful for putting the risk/benefit in perspective.

I agree with Pam's entire post, but the bolded sums it up. The other thing to consider is potential exposure risk that's outside our control, like an unexpected non-covid medical emergency or other situational emergency or urgency (critical house repair, emergency travel). Partial protection now gives some insurance against that (ETA esp. now while cases are raging). ETA, I forgot the pep talk part. Yay OP!

I can raise her one and tell the same stories about people in their 20's. Seriously, covid is no joke. OP, congrats again on your decision.

Yes, since the AZ age limit was lowered to 40 in many provinces, lots of us have decisions to make. I think it depends on your age and exposure level. FWIW: My late 40's family member will be getting his AZ today. We are in a seriously ugly 3rd wave (and I think you said in another thread that your cases per population were really high too?) and he won't be eligible for mRNA vaccine until probably July. Less good protection now is more important than better protection later. Less good protection now is MUCH better than no protection now. By July, we will have a much higher proportion of the population vaxed, case rates will be lower, and we won't be in healthcare system overload - full protection won't matter as much then. If he were in his 20's and never left the house, then maybe we'd wait (higher VIPIT risk, lower covid morbidity and mortality risks, less impressive risk/benefit), though that's a moot point really since AZ isn't available for that age group anyway, but just as an example. Also FWIW, all my MD colleagues have come to the same conclusion wrt their 40's spouses. All will get getting jabbed with AZ in the next day or two.

Congrats on booking. It's a double good choice - protect yourself and protect others.

I've heard this advice for people with severe eczema that's chronically infected, and for people who are MRSA carriers who are under treatment - to avoid re-infection. For people without any special medical reasons, I don't think I'd bother. I mean, I actually don't bother. I stick my finger in the tub of cream and don't think twice about it.

It's not standard of care here, nor is it available in the community. Yet. ETA a link to current local treatment guidelines, for interest.

I believe it. The definition of the word "essential" seems to have drifted during this pandemic.