B.C. offering COVID-19 vaccine boosters to everyone 12 and up next year
The B.C. government has announced that booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine will be offered to several vulnerable groups before the end of the year, and to the broader population beginning in January.
The province has already started distributing third doses in long-term care homes and assisted living facilities, where some elderly residents are said to have developed weaker antibody responses following vaccination, resulting in another wave of deadly outbreaks.
Extra shots have also been given to some B.C. residents considered extremely clinically vulnerable due to serious health conditions, and to some Indigenous communities that have seen high rates of transmission.
But provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix said emerging data suggests a booster shot could provide much longer-lasting protection to the general population as well, prompting the decision to expand eligibility to everyone age 12 and up next year.
"The immunity that we get from these vaccines wanes a little bit over time," Henry said. "But it doesn't fall off a cliff – it's not like you're no longer protected overall, it slowly goes down."
Henry stressed that two doses of vaccine, in any combination, will be enough to protect most people through the winter respiratory season, so the government is first focusing on those most at risk of decreasing immunity and serious infection.
"Most of us have good, strong protection and we don't need a booster dose right now, but come next spring it is something we should consider for longer-term protection," she said.
Through the end of December, additional doses are being offered to seniors age 70 and up, Indigenous residents age 12 and up, clients of long-term home supports, seniors in independent living, and health-care workers who received their two doses in quick intervals back when B.C. began its immunization program last year.
Growing research has found that shorter intervals have led to weaker immunity over time, with the strongest protection forming in those who received their second dose more than six weeks after their first.
While the United States opted for an interval of three to four weeks, B.C. was an early adopter of extending the waiting period between shots. Henry said that's shown a positive impact on cell-mediated immunity, a bodily response that's independent of antibodies.
"What we have seen is the cell mediated immunity – so those memory cells that we have as part of our immune system – those mature and give good strong protection over time and that interval made a difference in how that cell mediated immunity develops in people," she said.
The province said only the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines will be used for boosters, and can be used in any combination.
Going forward, health officials said only first doses will be offered through drop-in appointments. Second doses, third doses and boosters will be by appointment only for logistical purposes and to avoid waste.
Once again, the government is asking pharmacies across the province to help distribute boosters along with local health authorities.
The announcement of widely offered third doses led some B.C. residents to immediately question whether there would be an eventual impact on proof-of-vaccination requirements for non-discretionary activities like attending sporting events and going to the movies. Health officials said third doses will not be required under the B.C. vaccine card system.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.