B.C. offering 'fall booster' of COVID-19 vaccine to everyone 12+ beginning in September
The B.C. government is planning to offer a "fall booster" of COVID-19 vaccine to everyone 12 and older beginning in September, in preparation for what is expected to be a challenging winter for respiratory illnesses.
That dose will be the second booster offered to the general population, though Dr. Penny Ballem, executive lead of the province's immunization program, noted there are still 1.3 million British Columbians who haven't accepted the invitation to get their first.
"They need to get that first booster and we're ready for them any time," Ballem said at a news conference Friday. "Please go get it."
Second boosters will be offered to individuals six months after their first, following the same interval used between second primary doses and first boosters.
So far, second boosters have only been offered to British Columbians age 70 and older, Indigenous residents age 55 and older, people living in long-term care homes, and those considered extremely clinically vulnerable to severe infection. Eligibility is being expanded to those 65 and older soon, with invitations starting to go out on Monday.
For the general population, Ballem stressed that fall is the optimal time to enhance their protection against COVID-19.
"This is when we're most exposed to respiratory illness – we're moving indoors through the fall and winter, our risk is highest, and you want to get your booster when your risk is highest," she said.
By the fall, the government also expects to have new vaccines available from Pfizer and Moderna that are tailored to protect against Omicron. Both are pending approval from Health Canada.
"They look very promising," said Dr. Martin Lavoie, B.C.'s acting provincial health officer. "Those new vaccines, and the boosters, will be critical to helping us maintain our trajectory – a very positive trajectory so far in managing this pandemic."
B.C. health officials have repeatedly credited widespread vaccination for allowing the province to lift and loosen many COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year, returning some semblance of normalcy in day-to-day life.
But they have also urged the public not to become complacent, particularly as transmission and COVID-19 hospitalizations begin to surge once more. Modellers believe another Omicron wave, fuelled by the BA.5 subvariant, is already underway, and expected to peak next month.
"The virus is continuing to circulate," Lavoie said. "So we want to be clear: The pandemic is not over, unfortunately."
There has been some hesitancy to obtain a third dose, for reasons that are unclear. While 94 per cent of B.C. adults have received a first dose, only about 62 per cent have had a booster.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province is continuing to make progress, however, providing "about 50,000 shots a week."
According to the government, vaccine effectiveness data from early April through May of this year found Canadians who were boosted had "a risk of being hospitalized approximately five times lower compared to unvaccinated people."
Second boosters are being offered widely across B.C. on the advice of the National Advisory Council on Immunization, whose guidance has been followed by provincial health officials throughout the pandemic.
NACI is still deciding whether to approve a first booster for children between the ages of five and 11. A smaller first primary dose of vaccine designed for children under five is also still pending Health Canada approval, and subsequent NACI review.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca