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
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Minister 'outraged' after AFN national chief's headdress taken from Air Canada cabin
The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to 'make things right' with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week.
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.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Canada recognizes housing as a human right. Few provinces have followed suit
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.