3rd COVID-19 vaccine dose to be offered to long-term care residents, B.C. health officials announce
Residents in long-term care settings and assisted living will be offered a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine in B.C. starting next week.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry gave the update in a live briefing alongside Health Minister Adrian Dix Tuesday. Henry explained older residents may not develop as strong of an immune response as other age groups.
"We do know that people we prioritize first to receive vaccine are our elders and seniors in long-term care and assisted living and we know that older people have a less strong immune responses to most vaccines and though these ones are really good, we do know that it may not be as high as others," she said.
Henry also said that transmission in "congregate settings," like care homes, is a concern.
"Even when we have most of the residents fully immunized, if this virus is introduced into those settings, there is a significant number of people who will have break-through infections and this in an elderly population can be lethal," she said.
To help mitigate that risk, residents will be offered a third COVID-19 vaccine dose, about six months after their second dose. For many residents, that means they will be offered a booster shot as early as next week. The doses will be offered alongside seasonal flu shots.
"We know that our seniors and elders have carried a heavy burden and we continue to see cases in these homes," Henry said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.