Dr. Penny Balem, head of BC’s COVID-19 immunization plan, said Friday that invitations will start going out Monday for the most vulnerable people aged 65 and over. The advantage of getting the vaccine this fall is that the new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to be more tailored to fight the Omicron variants, he said. Nearly 94 percent of the residents of B.C. have taken their first shot, 91.2 percent have taken a second, but only 59.5 percent have taken their booster. He said 1.3 million people in B.C. they have not yet received their first reminder and should receive it immediately. For those who have had their third shot, Ballem said the risk will be higher in the fall when COVID-19 circulates with other respiratory illnesses. “Fall is the best time to make your next shot.” However, Ballem said people who feel they need their second booster now can contact health authorities and they will receive the vaccine. Until now, BC offers second booster shots for people 70 and older and Indigenous people 55 and older. Ballem said officials also hope to get approval by the end of July to give the vaccines to children aged six months to four years, but that still needs regulatory approval. Acting provincial health officer Dr. Martin Lavoie said the latest wave of Omicron’s BA.5 variant is increasing hospitalizations. Lavoie said vaccine makers have learned a lot about adapting to variations, and the developments are promising. “What’s important to know now is that manufacturers have developed vaccines that will adapt better to Omicron, which is great news,” he said. “As the virus moves further away from the vaccine we have now, we need to have a vaccine that is closely related to the one in circulation to be more effective.” The latest update from the BC Center for Disease Control reports 765 cases of COVID-19 for the week of June 26 to July 2, up from 620 the previous week. It also says there were 172 COVID-19 hospital admissions for the week of June 26 to July 2, compared to 209 for the previous week. The BCCDC reports there were 24 deaths related to COVID-19 last week compared to 33 deaths from June 19-25. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2022.
