As the province plans to roll out “fall boosters” to everyone aged 12 and over starting in September, Health Minister Adrian Dix was called on Friday to respond to criticism that the province’s messaging about the need for booster doses was not “necessarily. ” enough. Deeks replied calmly, but expressed his indignation. “How can I be more clear than I have been – I would say, and I have to say this delicately – the last 150 times I’ve said this?” asked the health minister, before making his case again to the 1.3 million people who haven’t booked a souvenir appointment. “If you’ve been invited for your first booster, get your first booster today,” Dix said. “Sign up for the appointment today. It will make you safer. It will make your family safer. It will make your community safer. Get it done today.” Likewise, to the roughly 200,000 people aged 70 and over or in other categories where second boosters have been offered, he gave a similar message: “If you have been invited for a second booster and you fall into these categories, complete it today. Make an appointment today.” Dix also pointed out that BC is not the only jurisdiction in Canada where uptake of booster doses has lagged far behind the main vaccine series. Among adults age 18 and older in BC, 94 percent have received at least one first dose of an approved vaccine for COVID-19, and 92 percent have received at least two doses. In terms of boosters, the total comes to about 62 percent. It is not clear why so many British Columbians chose not to take third shots. In May, provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry warned that natural immunity from the first Omicron wave in December and January – which infected about 50 per cent of the province – was waning. At the time, he encouraged those who had not made a reminder appointment due to a recent infection to do so. Another possible explanation for the lower uptake of third-party vaccines is that the province never made them mandatory in any case, unlike the original series of vaccines. The government of BC requires most health care workers and long-term care home visitors to have two doses of the vaccine, and some private businesses have made the same requirement for their workforce. No boosters have been added to provincial requirements. Similarly, the BC Vaccine Card program, which made proof of two vaccine doses mandatory for eating at restaurants and attending events, was never expanded to require three doses. That program ended in April, with Henry saying it was “very effective in getting people vaccinated”. On Friday, Dix argued that the province’s approach to encouraging boosters has been effective. “People are responding to it,” he said. “We were doing about 50,000 shots a week.” “There was a lot of urgency, you’ll remember, in December and January and February and March,” he added. “We certainly made the case, and there was an urgency and people went and got their third (dose) boosters, 2.8 million of them.” The latest data from the BC Center for Disease Control’s COVID-19 dashboard shows the province administered just 31,261 doses of vaccine during the week ending July 2. That was a significant drop from the recent average, which had seen the province administer more than 50,000 doses for five consecutive weeks in May and June. Of the 31,261 doses given last week, 26,317 of them – or about 84 percent – were second boosters. Another 3,863 were first boosters, 718 were second doses of an initial vaccination and 359 were first doses.
