By Pioneer Staff
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B.C. is continuing its COVID-19 immunization plan and will start to send out invitations to its senior citizens and most at-risk residents for a COVID-19 booster shot before the December holidays. The plan will expand to include all British Columbians aged 12+ beginning in January 2022.
Indigenous People and those 70+ who are registered in the Get Vaccinated System will soon be able to book a booster, to maintain their protection against COVID-19. Administration of booster doses is also underway for other priority groups, such as people in long-term care and assisted living facilities and those in shelters or at high risk of congregating in high-risk settings.
“Our vaccines are highly effective. However, we are starting to see a gradual decline in protection over time. As a result, we are taking the proactive step of expanding boosters to everyone in our province,” said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in a press release. “We’re starting with the people who need them most to continue to do all we can to keep people in B.C. safe from this virus and its variants.”
As with the first and second doses, invitations for vaccination are based on risk and age, going from oldest to youngest, and can be administered of six to eight months after the second dose. The Get Vaccinated System will send out invitations to those registered for their booster shot when it’s their turn, at local health authority clinics or at participating pharmacies.
In coordination with the First Nation Health Authority (FNHA), health authorities will once again schedule community-wide immunization clinics for rural and remote Indigenous communities. Additionally, Indigenous Peoples in urban areas will be offered vaccines at health authority clinics, pharmacies, or by their local health authority, with assistance from FNHA.
Vaccinations for children between the ages of five to 11 are awaiting approval from Health Canada. That vaccine program will draw on a separate supply of vaccines designed for children and will be delivered in parallel to the booster program. Parents can register their children ahead of time by visiting getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca.
