"Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement at a news conference Thursday, saying everyone in B.C. should be able to receive a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the summer as the province strives to reach Step 4 of its reopening plan by September.
The province is still setting 16 weeks as the maximum interval between doses.
....Henry said that some people who received a first dose of the Moderna vaccine may receive a second dose of Pfizer because of ongoing challenges with supplies of Moderna. She said advice is coming for people who received a first dose of AstraZeneca on which vaccine they should receive for their second dose.
"We don't have all the information yet but we expect to have that very soon," she said. "We will have enough of the AstraZeneca vaccine to provide second doses for everybody who wants that."
Second doses are now being administered to long-term care home residents and staff. As of Thursday, people aged 70 and above and people who are clinically vulnerable will be invited to book second dose appointments. People who received their first dose through community clinics in hot spots will also receive their second dose within eight weeks.
Henry said anyone who received their vaccine before April 15, before the province's online vaccine registration system was launched, should register online to receive an email or text notification of their second dose appointment.
.... The news conference comes on the heels of Wednesday's count of 250 cases, bringing the seven-day rolling average of new cases to its lowest point since early November. Hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care in B.C. are also down compared to last week.
....Health Minister Adrian Dix also said during Thursday's live news briefing that surgeries that were cancelled during the third wave are set to resume by June 7 and patients will be contacted to rebook.
....Officials have said B.C. is on pace to beat its July 1 timeline to get a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible residents.
Registration can be done online through the "Get Vaccinated" portal, by calling 1-833-838-2323, or in person at any Service B.C. location.
Children between the ages of 12 and 17, about 310,000 people in B.C., can also register through the online portal. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was recently approved for use in children of that age group.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/covid-briefing-may27-1.6042467
The province is still setting 16 weeks as the maximum interval between doses.
....Henry said that some people who received a first dose of the Moderna vaccine may receive a second dose of Pfizer because of ongoing challenges with supplies of Moderna. She said advice is coming for people who received a first dose of AstraZeneca on which vaccine they should receive for their second dose.
"We don't have all the information yet but we expect to have that very soon," she said. "We will have enough of the AstraZeneca vaccine to provide second doses for everybody who wants that."
Second doses are now being administered to long-term care home residents and staff. As of Thursday, people aged 70 and above and people who are clinically vulnerable will be invited to book second dose appointments. People who received their first dose through community clinics in hot spots will also receive their second dose within eight weeks.
Henry said anyone who received their vaccine before April 15, before the province's online vaccine registration system was launched, should register online to receive an email or text notification of their second dose appointment.
.... The news conference comes on the heels of Wednesday's count of 250 cases, bringing the seven-day rolling average of new cases to its lowest point since early November. Hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care in B.C. are also down compared to last week.
....Health Minister Adrian Dix also said during Thursday's live news briefing that surgeries that were cancelled during the third wave are set to resume by June 7 and patients will be contacted to rebook.
....Officials have said B.C. is on pace to beat its July 1 timeline to get a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all eligible residents.
Registration can be done online through the "Get Vaccinated" portal, by calling 1-833-838-2323, or in person at any Service B.C. location.
Children between the ages of 12 and 17, about 310,000 people in B.C., can also register through the online portal. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was recently approved for use in children of that age group.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/covid-briefing-may27-1.6042467
