Thought of the Day - October 13 2021 - BC's Next Vaxxes

While Canada's fourth-wave case rates are abating, resulting hospitalization and fatalities are not what was hoped. Thus the renewed interest in expanding the age range for vaccines and revisiting the dosing levels with vaccine boosters.

As discussed last month ( Thought of the Day - September 16 2021 - BC Prepares for Child Vaccinations ), BC continues to prepare for child vaccination. It was announced late last week that, despite the fact that Canada has not approved any COVID vaccination for children, parents in BC can register kids between 5 and 11 (now known as mature minors) for vaccination. Perplexingly, it was also declared by a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health on Saturday that actually registration has been open “all along.” “Throughout the pandemic, B.C.’s approach to vaccination booking is that we provide notification to people when it’s their turn to book. You are scheduled based on when it’s your turn, not when you register”. In addition, a mask mandate has also been announced for school kids. I guess it will take a little longer for us to get our ducks in a row for the kids.

Also announced late last month, following Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization, was that BC has started offering COVID-19 booster shots to residents in long-term care and assisted living. This has now been expanded to "people who don’t develop a strong immune response because of a health condition or certain medications". Somehow the province has also determined that an interval of six months between the second dose of vaccine and a booster shot is ideal.

“We are currently reviewing data around vaccine effectiveness for all ages and populations to determine if, and when, a booster dose may be needed for different ages and populations,” recently said BC Health Ministry spokeswoman Marielle Tounsi. Dr. Bonnie Henry, also said she expects to have more information on a booster shot plan by the end of October.

Anyway, despite the wind-down of many of our mass vaccination clinics across the province in recent months, it still looks like we may be ramping up again in November, in the hopes of addressing child infections and adult breakthrough cases, and thus toning down our fifth wave.

Cheers

Cliff