Advocates want COVID-19 vaccine boosters for B.C. seniors in the community
Seniors living in long-term care are now being offered a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but elderly British Columbians who live in the community aren't, and advocates say that needs to change.
“We are already hearing that some of the double shot Pfizer (recipients) are getting COVID again, and there have been deaths,” said Ramona Kaptyn, president of the Surrey/White Rock chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons.
“Some of my CARP members have been calling and they’re very worried, and want to know when the booster shot will be available.”
Geriatrician Dr. Naaz Parmar is also hearing concern from her elderly patients, some of whom would likely be in long-term care, but have chosen to stay at home longer because of COVID-19.
“They are seeing themselves at that same degree of frailty, they’re seeing themselves at a degree of exposure because they have care workers coming and going and other such things, but they are not in that first cohort,’ said Parmar.
With Alberta now offering boosters to anyone over age 75, Parmar and CARP want British Columbia to act now.
“It could be done just like before, starting with over-80s and then working down,” said Kaptyn. “We know how to do it. We’ve done it. I think it’s time to get on with it.”
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, believes seniors will get their third shot this year.
“To me, it’s a matter of time,” Conway said. “And I think as other provinces do it, then it will probably push B.C. to do it more quickly. They will get it sooner rather than later, we just don’t know when yet.”
And when third shots are offered to seniors, he’s hoping they can be administered in family doctors’ offices, instead of large-scale vaccine clinics.
“If we are going to vaccinate more people more quickly, we need to put COVID vaccines in the hands of many more health-care providers,” Conway said.
He thinks it could be done in conjunction with their flu shots, and believes there is adequate supply for third doses for British Columbians 65 and older.
“We do have enough,” said Kaptyn. “I’m sure that we have enough. We’re giving some to other countries because we have too much now. So it is available, and it should be administered.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.