Bc To Expand Eligibility For Booster Shot Bc News

BC plans to expand eligibility for second booster shots this fall, although specific details about exactly when different age groups will be eligible were not revealed at a July 8 press conference. BC lags behind the rest of Canada in the percentage of the population who have received two booster doses. Recent Health Canada data shows that only 5.2 per cent of British Columbians have received two booster doses or four doses of the vaccine in total. This is the last among the eight provinces to report such figures. In Quebec, for example, 13.2 percent of the population has received two booster doses, according to Health Canada. The reason BC lags behind the other provinces is because its eligibility requirements are more stringent. Earlier this year, to get second booster shots, BC residents had to be 70 years of age or older, an Indigenous person 55 years of age or older, or in a nursing home. Dr. Penny Balem, who leads the vaccine rollout in the province, said one tweak to the province’s regulations is that those who believe they are vulnerable can contact the government. “If you really feel like you have special circumstances, you can call the call center and we’ll arrange for you to have a booster,” he said. The news follows Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on June 30 urging provinces and territories to provide second booster shots against COVID-19 by this fall. NACI said it “strongly” recommended giving the second booster shots to Canadians over 65, long-term care residents over 12 with medical conditions that put them at “high risk of severe” COVID-19 as well as people from Indigenous and tribal communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province is following NACI’s recommendations, although the province is still only providing second booster shots to people in the general population who are 70 years and older.

title: “Bc To Expand Eligibility For Booster Shot Bc News " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-20” author: “Isaac Frye”

BC plans to expand eligibility for second booster shots this fall, although specific details about exactly when different age groups will be eligible were not revealed at a July 8 press conference. BC lags behind the rest of Canada in the percentage of the population who have received two booster doses. Recent Health Canada data shows that only 5.2 per cent of British Columbians have received two booster doses or four doses of the vaccine in total. This is the last among the eight provinces to report such figures. In Quebec, for example, 13.2 percent of the population has received two booster doses, according to Health Canada. The reason BC lags behind the other provinces is because its eligibility requirements are more stringent. Earlier this year, to get second booster shots, BC residents had to be 70 years of age or older, an Indigenous person 55 years of age or older, or in a nursing home. Dr. Penny Balem, who leads the vaccine rollout in the province, said one tweak to the province’s regulations is that those who believe they are vulnerable can contact the government. “If you really feel like you have special circumstances, you can call the call center and we’ll arrange for you to have a booster,” he said. The news follows Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on June 30 urging provinces and territories to provide second booster shots against COVID-19 by this fall. NACI said it “strongly” recommended giving the second booster shots to Canadians over 65, long-term care residents over 12 with medical conditions that put them at “high risk of severe” COVID-19 as well as people from Indigenous and tribal communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Health Minister Adrian Dix said the province is following NACI’s recommendations, although the province is still only providing second booster shots to people in the general population who are 70 years and older.