3rd doses of COVID-19 vaccine may be rolling out for some B.C. residents this fall, top doctor says
Health officials in B.C. are preparing for the possibility of a third COVID-19 vaccine dose being necessary for some residents, saying boosters may be on the way as early as this fall.
Dr. Bonnie Henry spoke about vaccine boosters and third shots during a news conference on modelling data Tuesday. In that presentation, Henry also revealed those who are unvaccinated are 12 times more likely to get COVID-19 and 34 times more likely to require hospitalization than those who are fully vaccinated.
Henry said health officials have been "following the data" on booster shots, adding that there are "two groups of people" they're focusing on.
One of those includes people with specific immune-compromising conditions, like blood cancer or those who have had a solid-organ transplant. Henry explained those individuals "don't necessarily develop a response after two doses" of COVID-19 vaccine, but a third dose might increase the probability of them having a good immune response.
"Operationally we're putting together the plans to be able to provide that third dose to those group of people and I expect that will happen in the next week or so," Henry said.
The other group includes residents of long-term care facilities.
"It's a little bit different across the country and those are also data that we've been watching very carefully," Henry said. "So far we are not seeing a diminution of protection across the board of long-term care."
Henry explained most long-term care residents had a longer interval between their two shots, which she said gives a "strong, longer-lasting protection."
"We need to determine what is the optimal interval," she said, adding that though it's still a bit speculative, it could be about six to eight months.
"That would put us for most people in long-term care somewhere around October. So we're gearing up to be able to provide a third dose around that period of time and we'd be looking at providing influenza immunization around the same time."
For other B.C. residents, Henry said officials are considering whether everyone needs a third dose, reiterating that a longer interval between doses gives a better immune response.
"We want to make sure that we know the appropriate timing and whether it's needed. Countries like the U.S. and Israel, they stuck to the very narrow window of time for the most part and so have been focusing on booster doses," she said.
"The data that we're seeing right now doesn't show that we need a booster dose yet. It may be sometime in the new year for the average person."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most Americans believe abortion should be legal, at least in most circumstances, but it's still a flashpoint issue in JD Vance's home state
Abortion is a flashpoint in the upcoming American election, even as polls in the U.S. show most people support reproductive freedom. Abortion rights advocates tell CTV News that when candidates take a stance on that, it could influence a decision at the polling station– especially for women on who they want elected.
'2032 is not good enough': Kelly Craft says Canada has to spend faster on defence if Trump wins
A former U.S. ambassador says Canada needs to spend more on defence, and do so faster than the federal government's currently planning to, to meet the expectations of its NATO allies.
Weekend warriors have the same risk of mild dementia as more frequent exercisers, study suggests
People who only exercise on weekends have a similar risk of developing mild dementia to those who work out more frequently, a new study has found.
She got on a plane to find the guy she fell for at Oktoberfest. ‘I’m going to go and find my ginger’
Mandy Suess was so certain the red-haired man she met at Oktoberfest was special that she got on a plane to go and find him
'It’s a dream come true': Holt, Liberal cabinet sworn-in to office
Susan Holt, the province's first female premier, and 18 cabinet ministers took the oath of office in the chamber of the legislative assembly.
Alberta Premier Smith gets 91 per cent support in leadership review
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith received a dominating 91.5 per cent vote of support from her United Conservative Party members in a scheduled leadership review vote on Saturday.
Live from New York: Harris making surprise 'Saturday Night Live' appearance with election looming
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris has made an unannounced trip to New York to appear on an episode of 'Saturday Night Live,' briefly stepping away from the battleground states she’s been campaigning in with just three days to go before the election.
Multiple RTDNA wins for CTV News, including 2 for W5
CTV News won four national news awards and a local news award from RTDNA Canada, the organization announced Saturday night at a gala event in Toronto.
2 people charged in Toronto incident that left police horse and officer injured were out on bail, police say
The driver of a pickup truck who allegedly struck a police horse and rammed several cruisers on Queen Street West on Friday afternoon was out on bail at the time of the incident, Toronto police say.