COVID-19 booster injections will be made available to all British Columbians by May 2022

People aged 70 and over and all Aboriginal people over 12 years of age, clients of long-term home support and independent living seniors and health care workers who have had a short interval between their first and last days. their second dose will also have the option of receiving a third dose by the end of the year.

From January, the availability of the third dose will extend to clinically vulnerable people and healthcare workers. From there, the rest of the remaining population will become eligible.

Provincial health worker Dr Bonnie Henry said that for people with severe immune problems, two doses may not be enough to achieve a high level of immunity, which is why health officials recommend one. a third.

For others, immunity may wane over time, she said, which is why a booster dose will be used to help restore immunity.

A plan to start immunizing children between the ages of five and 11 is also expected to begin, pending approval from Health Canada, although parents can already register their children for the vaccine.

As of Tuesday, nearly 90 percent of eligible people over the age of 12 in British Columbia have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 84 percent have received a second, leading to the Dr Penny Ballem, who is in charge of the vaccination program, to describe it as “very successful”.

As the next part of the vaccination campaign unfolds, she said, they will look to health authorities for their expertise on how best to offer booster doses in their communities.

Role of pharmacies in the 3rd dose program

Pharmacies across the province will play an important role in the rollout of the third dose program.

According to Geraldine Vance, CEO of the British Columbia Pharmacy Association, appointments for the additional injection will be made through the Get vaccinated portal and people will then be presented with options for pharmacies in their community where a pharmacist can deliver their dose.

Vance, speaking Wednesday on The first edition, said BC pharmacists have a proven track record in large-scale immunization programs, having provided more than one million flu shots last year.

“They are pretty good at it,” she said, noting that more than 50 pharmacies participated in a pilot project in August and September to integrate the vaccine portal software with the pharmacy software and that it is ready to run.

People will be eligible for a booster dose six to eight months after receiving their second dose of the vaccine.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, both of the mRNA variety, will be used for boosters regardless of what individuals received for their first and second doses, Ballem said.

Booking boosters

Beginning in January, the province will text or email British Columbians who have received two doses of the vaccine with an invitation to make an appointment for a booster.

Boosters will be available by appointment only. Walk-in visits will not be allowed because they can put pressure on clinics, Henry said.

WATCH | Everyone in British Columbia will be offered booster shots by May:

British Columbia to offer COVID-19 booster shots to everyone by May

British Columbia is the first province to announce a plan for COVID-19 booster shots, with all residents eligible by May, or six to eight months after their first dose. 1:53

Henry says she is optimistic that a third dose could provide years of protection against the virus because of the long intervals between previous injections when the province tried to maximize the benefits of the vaccination.

“We know this vaccine is very effective,” she said. “We are also seeing… breakthroughs in certain populations and under certain conditions.”

Henry said the booster doses will protect those most at risk and reduce strain on the health care system in British Columbia.

Tuesday’s announcement will not affect vaccination cards or health care worker warrants – two doses of any combination of COVID-19 vaccine will mean an individual is fully vaccinated.

The province says 77% of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 from October 7 to 20 were in people who were not fully vaccinated.

The province said Monday it had confirmed 1,618 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 more deaths over the weekend. Fraser Health has more than double the number of new cases compared to any other health authority in British Columbia, with almost 700 new diagnoses.

Health officials are still encouraging anyone who has not yet received a first or second dose to sign up for the vaccine, and have said part of the immunization program will continue while they work for give booster shots.

British Columbians aged 12 and over who have not yet been immunized can register in three ways: