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
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Early results from London, U.K., suggest Labour's Sadiq Khan will secure a record third term as mayor
Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, appeared Saturday to be romping to victory as results from the capital pour in.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.