To Boost Or Not To Boost: Managing the Seventh Wave with Dr. Dawn Bowdish

With the rise of COVID-19 cases fueled by the more contagious omicron sub-variants but resulting in less severe symptoms and hospitalizations, many are wondering what the role of a fourth booster will provide against this variant. With Pfizer and Moderna both announcing an omicron vaccine to be released this fall, many are wondering if they should wait for this specific vaccine. Join us for a short talk with a McMaster expert, Dr. Dawn Bowdish, Associate Professor and a Canada Research Chair in Aging & Immunity, as she discusses the role of vaccines with Omicron and the sub-variants and answers your COVID-19 related questions. About our speaker: Dr. Dawn Bowdish is a Professor in the Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine and McMaster Immunology Research Centre. She is also the Executive Director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health; Tier 2 CRC in Aging and Immunity, University Scholar and Member of the Royal Society College of New Scholars. Her laboratory has two major focuses -1) how age and inflammation alter innate immune function and increase susceptibility to infection and 2) uncovering how the microbiome changes with age and contributes to healthy/unhealthy aging and the development of chronic inflammatory conditions. Dr. Bowdish and her team's expertise in the aging immune system and infections/vaccinations allowed her team to quickly pivot to understanding infection & vaccination responses to COVID-19.