COVID-19 vaccines: B.C. to reduce interval between doses to 7 weeks, shots being offered at walk-in vaccine clinics
Hoping to get as many British Columbians vaccinated as possible, health officials announced Tuesday that residents will be able to get shots at walk-in vaccine clinics and get their second dose a little sooner.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Dr. Penny Ballem spoke about the province's vaccine rollout during a morning news conference.
The trio said, according to data from July 23, 19.6 per cent of eligible British Columbians remain unvaccinated. Northern and Interior Health authorities have the highest rates of unvaccinated residents, with 32.5 and 26.2 per cent, respectively.
The health officials said the province will be launching a "Vax for BC" campaign, which will allow those who haven't been vaccinated or those who have waited at least 49 days – or seven weeks – since their first shot to visit a walk-in clinic.
Previously, the interval between shots was a minimum of eight weeks.
Henry explained officials are "functionally" decreasing the intervals between vaccines but said there can be "a bit of a trade off" for doing so even further.
"There's more and more evidence being published around the world that shows that having a longer interval, particularly longer than the minimum of four weeks, does give longer lasting and stronger protection so we want to have that balance," she explained.
For most people, about six to eight weeks between doses is best," Henry said.
"For some people, we may want to shorten that," Henry said, giving places in Interior Health where there are clusters of cases as an example.
While booking an appointment ahead of time is still encouraged, it won't be necessary at the walk-in vaccine clinics, health officials said.
The campaign will also include a "Walk-in Wednesday" on Aug. 4, when 20,000 shots will be available across the province.
"Over the next two weeks, B.C. will push hard to vaccinate as many eligible people as possible," health officials said in their presentation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
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.
Here's what 'the hinge' move is, how to do it correctly
When you're picking something up from the floor or bending over to tie your shoe laces, you're performing "the hinge move," according to movement trainers.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
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.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Trump heading to Jersey Shore to rally 'mega crowd' in weekend break from hush money trial
After a long week in court, Donald Trump is heading to the Jersey Shore. And his campaign says he'll be joined by "tens of thousands" of his friends.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.