Just 15% of Canadians got updated COVID vaccines this fall, new figures show

Canadians raced to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the first years of the pandemic, but data suggests there's far less of a rush to get the latest shots available this fall.

Federal figures show only 15 per cent of the population aged five and up had received an updated vaccine by Dec. 3. And while older age groups had higher uptake rates, more than half of higher-risk older adults still hadn't gotten a dose by early December, either.

The shots, tailored to the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant, are meant to shore up protection against the SARS-CoV-2 descendants currently circulating.

Medical experts say seniors and other higher-risk individuals could leave themselves more vulnerable to serious illness if they skip these updated shots. Less than a third of Canadians in their 60s have had the newest vaccine, along with roughly 44 per cent of people in their 70s, and 48 per cent of those aged 80 and older. 

Pandemic fatigue, muddled messaging and complex vaccination timelines might be dissuading Canadians from getting another round of vaccines, experts note.

"Why that gap exists is both an interesting and difficult question," said Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious diseases specialist with Sinai Health in Toronto. "I think it's because people just aren't getting the message about how much of a risk COVID is."

Data shows SARS-CoV-2 is still circulating at high levels across much of Canada, sending hundreds of people into hospital with COVID every week. Weekly rates of hospitalizations and intensive care admissions remain highest among the oldest age groups.

The immune systems of various higher-risk groups — including seniors, pregnant women and people with other serious health issues — can be weaker than those of most healthy adults, increasing their risk of serious illness of any kind.

At the same time, a growing body of evidence suggests that immunity against this ever-evolving virus fades over time, leaving people susceptible to repeat infections.

Just this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced yet another variant of interest known as JN.1, an Omicron offshoot that's rapidly spreading around the world. (WHO officials said the latest batch of vaccines are expected to maintain protection against serious illness and death from this variant as well.)

That's why updated shots can make a difference, according to Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam.

Tam told CBC News there's "room for improvement" when it comes to vaccine uptake among older Canadians. "That's the group, of course, that has the highest risk of severe outcomes," she added.

Close to a third of the country's older population doesn't appear to have been infected with this virus yet either, Tam noted.

"They've been protecting themselves. They've been getting vaccinated," she added. "But the vaccine base protection can wane over time… even protection against severe outcomes wanes over time."