Some Manitobans in no hurry to get a shot of the new Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine

Manitoba health authorities are urging everyone who's eligible to get the new vaccine that targets the Omicron variant of COVID-19 — but it's not clear if that message is hitting the mark.

As more people return to normal, post-lockdown life, some experts say vaccine fatigue may be preventing people from taking the measures they need to protect themselves from the coronavirus.

"I think I'm good for now," said Winnipegger Danis Karuba, when he learned Wednesday that people over 18 can now get a dose of the Moderna bivalent vaccine. 

"If it's mandatory, then I'm probably going to have to, but right now I'm going to stick with the two that I have."

Karuba said he hasn't heard of any cases of COVID in his social circles for at least a couple of months.

"So there's nothing really to worry about for me right now," he said.

That's the kind of thinking health authorities need to address, said Dr. Michelle Driedger, a professor of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba.

"In some of our research, we've been hearing an association that, 'When I get other kinds of vaccines, it protects me and I don't need to have this constant return for a booster,'" she said.

Another confusing factor, Driedger said, is that COVID vaccines don't completely stop people from catching or spreading the virus.

"That raises a lot of questions for people," she continued. "But the reality is, this virus continues to change and evolve."

Manitoba's chief public health officer has delivered a similar message since vaccines first became available, saying immunization significantly reduces severe health outcomes, but that immunity does wane over time. 

"If you've had your previous doses, or even become infected in the past, this booster is a great way to recharge that immunity," Dr. Brent Roussin said Wednesday. 

"We know from the evidence that this provides the broadest protection available."

The new booster protects against the original strain of COVID-19 and the newer Omicron strains. It's available to any adult whose last dose was at least three months ago — shorter than the previous requirement of at least six months.