B.C. seniors ready to roll up their sleeves for fourth COVID-19 shot

After Tuesday’s announcement that second COVID-19 boosters would be coming to at risk British Columbians, many seniors say they have no hesitation about receiving their fourth shot and are actually looking forward to it.

Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC President Leslie Gaudette says she feels reassured to know the invitations to book are imminent for those 70 years old and older.

“My children have been worried about my health. I think it’s a great sense of relief for the people most at risk to contracting the virus and be harmed by it are being protected by this additional layer,” Gaudette said.

In addition to older residents, the province announced boosters would be rolled out in long-term care homes, among Indigenous people 55 and older, and those who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable.

BC Care Providers Association CEO Terry Lake has been among those critics calling for the province to move faster on fourth boosters for high risk populations, as they were prioritized to receive vaccines first, and concerns were growing about waning immunity.

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“Now we need to make sure we operationalize this well with the health authorities, with pharmacists, with care home providers, to make sure we get it rolled out as quickly as possible,” Lake said.

“It’s important that we keep immunity high through the use of the vaccine, but also of course, that we recognize that mandatory vaccination for staff, for visitors will continue, so keep your vaccine pass if you want to visit long-term care homes because that’s the very best way to protect people who are so vulnerable to respiratory viruses.”

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) said Tuesday that a second booster dose should be given six months after the previous dose.

It also says adults 80 years and older should be prioritized and urged provinces and territories to begin a rapid deployment as cases continue to rise and hospitalizations remain high across the country.

Despite reluctance being seen in some other age groups over boosters, an estimated 81 per cent of B.C. seniors over 70 have received a third shot, well above the provincial average of 52 per cent.

Gaudette says feeling protected is key for seniors to get back to some level of normalcy without fear.

“I think we’ve all been very worried about our immunity waning, as it seems the vaccines are very effective for a period of months and then the immunity is waning leaving us open to being infected,” she said.

Although Gaudette is also pushing for other health measures to be in place beyond vaccines.

With the B.C. Vaccine Card program ending Friday, she says many seniors will likely opt to keep masks on in social settings, especially as hospitalizations remain high.

“I think it’s still important to me and a lot of my friends in this age group that we continue wearing masks because we know it’s protecting others as well as ourselves. It’s just nice to bring some stability to our lives to know we can continue to meet with people in person because the lack of social connectiveness has been a real challenge to many of us over the period of the last two years,” she said.