VICTORIA—B.C. says it will offer booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine to its entire population, making it one of the first North American jurisdictions to commit to doing so — and setting a potential precedent for other provinces.
All double-vaccinated British Columbians will be invited to book a third vaccine appointment at least six months after their second dose, starting in January, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
Some immunocompromised people, Indigenous populations and seniors over 70 will be invited to book a booster dose as soon as this month.
The definition of being “fully vaccinated” for the province’s vaccine passport program will remain two doses. The province will use the mRNA vacccine made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, in the same configuration as the first and second-doses used.
“We know now that adding an extra dose can make a difference,” Henry said, particularly for individuals at higher risk for breakthrough COVID-19 infections.
“But we are also learning what is the optimal schedule. It may be that this booster dose provides longer-lasting protection.”
In choosing to offer booster doses to all double-vaccinated British Columbians, B.C. is — for the second time — making a move that could prove precedent-setting.
Last winter, B.C. was the first province to extend the timeline between first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine, a move quickly followed by other provinces.
“I hope exactly the same thing happens. I hope the dominoes fall and public health units in other provinces take this up,” said Colin Furness, epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto, who praised the province’s decision.
“B.C. may be saving a lot of lives — and not only in B.C. — by setting that precedent.”
Furness said data from Israel, which is one of the countries that managed to vaccinate its population earliest, shows immunity from two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can wane over time, and that third vaccinations are safe.
Henry said Tuesday that data from B.C. and Quebec supports that.
She said the data shows both populations have strong evidence that vaccines are working — and that a longer interval between two doses of the vaccine provided stronger protection than a shorter interval.
“What that tells us is that we have good strong immunity for most people,” she said. “But for some people who got their doses early — and if we look back at our program, we started with those most at risk — those people were more likely to get a shorter dose interval as well. So those are the people that are at higher risk of having decreased protection by now.”
That, she said, is the reason why the province is offering booster doses to all British Columbians — and starting with the population that is most at risk, and most likely to have had a shorter dose interval between their first two doses.
Furness said the data has him concerned that Ontario and other provinces could see a COVID-19 resurgence if immunity wanes in that population in the new year, and third doses are not offered.
“If we go into the new year without (following B.C. and offering booster doses) then I think we may be in trouble,” he said. “The simple answer is this is precedent-setting in the best way.”
Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has recommended booster shots for long-term care residents and seniors living in other congregate settings. Boosters are meant to be administered at least six months after the initial vaccinations.
The U.S. has approved booster shots for everyone age 65 and older, those at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 and people who experienced a severe outcome of the illness. The U.K. is considering accelerating its timeline for booster shots as daily new case counts there continue to rise.
Henry said providing booster doses to the most at-risk populations, combined with plans to provide doses to children ages five to 12 in the next months, means, “We will have the best protection we can have going into the holiday season, and that will help us very much.”
Henry said her team will continue to monitor vaccine effectiveness, and that she’s hopeful booster doses will provide “long-term immunity for many years.”
With files from The Canadian Press
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMieGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXN0YXIuY29tL25ld3MvY2FuYWRhLzIwMjEvMTAvMjYvYmMtdG8tb2ZmZXItY292aWQtdmFjY2luZS1ib29zdGVycy1mb3ItYWxsLWluLXByZWNlZGVudC1zZXR0aW5nLW1vdmUuaHRtbNIBAA?oc=5
2021-10-26 22:41:15Z
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