NANAIMO — A newly announced spring booster program focuses on the elderly and vulnerable.
During a Friday, March 10 media briefing provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry stated the next round of boosters will target people at the “highest risk” of severe illness. That includes people at least 80-years-old and Indigenous people at least 70-years-old and seniors in long-term care settings.
Dr. Henry said the aim behind the spring booster campaign scheduled to start next month is to protect people with immunity deficiency issues.
“The protection they get from vaccine or from combinations of vaccine or infection tends to go down more quickly, it doesn’t get as high in older people and it tends to wane or decrease more quickly.”
People who are at least 18 and are moderately to severely immunity compromised are also recommended to get a booster in the campaign, which Henry said will begin “for the most part” in April.
Henry said people 60-years-old and up and Indigenous people at least 50-years-old who haven’t had COVID-19 should consider getting a spring booster.
Henry encouraged anyone who falls outside the categories she described, but who still want a booster, to discuss the matter with their healthcare provider.
As for a potential COVID booster program next fall, Dr. Henry said it’s unclear what that could look like.
She said guidance will be provided based on the state of the virus and potential new vaccines available.
“We’ll be watching our data here in B.C. and globally and we’ll be making recommendations as we head into the fall.”
The province meanwhile announced that as of April 3, BC Public Service employees will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination.
The Ministry of Finance stated the decision to rescind the policy was made “based on the high level of vaccination among public-service employees and the current state of the pandemic.”
It says more than 98 per cent of employees met the requirement, which was introduced in November 2021.
The statement noted ending the policy means “a small number” of employees on administrative leave due to non-compliance will get the chance to come back to work.
During the Friday briefing provincial health minister Adrian Dix emphasized the vaccine requirement for public healthcare workers will remain in place.
“It continues and it will continue. It reflects the fundamental need to protect the most vulnerable people, especially people in acute care and long-term care and many more,” Dix said of the requirement based on a provincial health order.
Information on all forms of immunizations available in the province, including setting up appointments, is available at the province’s Get Vaccinated website linked here.
The third anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID1-9 a public health emergency is on Saturday, March 11.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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