COVID-19: B.C. overhauls vaccine program as rates slow

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Though 80 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the province says it’s working to get more people inoculated amid a slowdown in rates.

The province is launching a “Vax for B.C.” campaign, with a particular focus on people who have not yet received any doses yet.

According to the province, more than 60 per cent of eligible people in this province are fully vaccinated. While that is a relatively high number, officials note many remain without a jab and new cases appear to be affecting these groups of people.

Latest figures show less than five per cent of new COVID-19 cases are among fully vaccinated people, with the province adding unvaccinated people are at “significantly greater risk of severe outcomes.”

“Seventy-eight per cent of those hospitalized with COVID-19 are completely unvaccinated and a further 18 per cent have only received their first dose,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday, of data from June 15 to July 15, 2021.

According to the province, 15 of the 21 deaths in that timeframe were among unvaccinated British Columbians. Another five were among those who have only received their first dose. Just one fully vaccinated person died in that 30-day span.

“This is why it is extremely important that we all get both those vaccines, and now is our time to do that, not only to protect ourselves but to protect those around us,” Henry said.

(Courtesy: B.C. government)

The province is shifting its focus away from larger, mass clinics with plans to hold smaller clinics in communities where where COVID-19 vaccine rates remain low. That includes administering shots at the beach, Playland, farmers markets, and more.

The priority will be on getting to people who are hardest to reach. The province says in the coming weeks, it will put more of a focus on public health clinics, outreach clinics, mobile clinics, and pop-up clinics.

The province says changes in clinic locations and size will happen over the next two months “to allow for a continued strong Vax for B.C. effort while streamlining operations to match the reduced demand.”

Examples of drop-in clinics in the community include one before the Vancouver Whitecaps game starts at BC Place on Aug. 21, and another at the Abbotsford Agrifair from July 30 to Aug. 1 from 10:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

You can check Vax for B.C. website to find more vaccine events in your community.

In addition to focusing on harder-to-reach populations, B.C. is also making changes to how long you’ll have to wait between doses. The province says you can now get your second dose at least 49 days after your first. That brings the interval down from eight weeks to seven.

Q have been reluctant to use vaccine proof – are you contemplating any punitive approaches to make it that if unvaccinated life is more inconvenient.@adriandix doesn't say no or yes but that for next two weeks pushing to get max ppl vaxxed.#bcpoli @NEWS1130 #covid19

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) July 27, 2021

To date, more than 6.5 million vaccine doses have been administered in B.C. There are more than 4.5 million people over the age of 12 in this province.

Dr. Penny Ballem, executive lead of the B.C. immunization rollout team, says while over 80 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received at least one dose, that leaves nearly 20 per cent of people unvaccinated against COVID-19.

Looking at a breakdown by health authority, Vancouver Coastal Health has the lowest percentage of unvaccinated residents with 14.8 per cent. In Fraser Health, 18.4 per cent are unvaccinated, Island Health has 18.1 per cent, and Interior Health has 26.2 per cent.

The Northern Health region has the highest percentage of unvaccinated British Columbians with 32.5 per cent.

“We’ve done really well but we’ve got more to do,” Ballem said. “In order to encourage and enable and …. basically make it as easy as possible for those last 900,000 people to come and participate in the vaccination campaign, we need our program to be as resilient as possible, flexible, accessible, innovative, and really using all of the creativity we can to make it as easy as possible to get those people in. We know the vast majority of them will get vaccinated. They want to get vaccinated, but you have to make it convenient. You’ve got to make it fun.”

“I have very little patience for people who aren’t immunized in health care.”

Henry says the rules will be strict in regards to health care workers and COVID-19 immunizations, adding she has “very little patience” for those who aren’t vaccinated.

“We’ve had a policy for influenza, we will have a very similar policy, that if people choose not to be immunized and you work in health care, then you will not be able to work in certain settings without taking additional measures. There will be consequences for that decision,” she said.

While the province is unlikely to mandate proof of vaccination across all businesses, Henry says individual businesses’ have the right to do so.

“If I was running a nightclub, I’d want to make sure that my staff are protected. And yes, we absolutely can say, ‘To come in here, you have to be immunized,'” she said.

Unvaccinated post-secondary students could also face challenges with campus housing, with Henry saying some may require proof to live there.

(Courtesy: B.C. government)

The province is also trying to reach those who haven’t booked an appointment for whatever reason, enticing them to get a jab easily through a walk-in.

Officials have named Wednesday, Aug. 4 “Walk-in Wednesday” in the province. On that day, 20,000 shots will be available at clinics across B.C., without the need for an appointment.

On Tuesday, Henry acknowledged there are anti-vaxxers, but insists there aren’t many in B.C.

“We do know that the people who are actually anti vaccine, or dead-set against getting immunized, is a very small percentage overall in B.C. It’s about one or two per cent of people that never get immunized in for COVID vaccine, or studies have shown us that it’s maybe as many as five per cent of people,” she said.

Re consequences for not being vaccinated @adriandix talks about measles as well — Kids w/out measles vax are kept out of school during measles outbreaks. So again saying max not mandatory but there are consequences.#bcpoli @NEWS1130 #covid19

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) July 27, 2021

With files from Liza Yuzda