B.C. second COVID booster shots to open to 12+ this fall

Starting this fall, all British Columbians 12 and older will be invited to get a second COVID-19 booster shot if they want one.

Many people have been pressing the province to open eligibility for fourth vaccine doses, amid the continued spread of the Omicron variant.

Starting Monday, the province will be sending out invitations to British Columbians, based on priority. It anticipates about 40,000 invites will go out each day.

Monday updates via the get vaccinated system will start going out by priority group at a rate of about 40,000 a day. And again Ballem says, for those who are at 6 months, not in CEV grp but want add'l booster they can arrange it.#covid19 #bcpoli @CityNewsVAN

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) July 8, 2022

These invitations will allow people to begin booking their second booster shots starting in September – with those at higher risk of serious infection at the top of the list.

The update was provided Friday during the first COVID-19 briefing in B.C. in months. The update comes as B.C.’s COVID-19 hospitalization rates have increased slightly over the last few weeks, according to Dr. Martin Lavoie, the acting provincial health officer, who says he expects those numbers to fluctuate.

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Some people may even be able to get the additional jab sooner.

If you have passed six months since your first booster and don’t want to wait any longer for your second, the province says it will ensure vaccines are available through the summer.

“We also respect you and your judgment, and so we will be contacting you. You have to wait until we contact you over the next couple of weeks. If you feel like you need to get a booster now, one will be made available,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said Friday.

However, the province recommends waiting until the fall – even if you are past six months since your last dose – noting it’s better for most people to get a booster “around periods of increased risk,” such as flu season.

“According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) getting boosted in the fall will provide the best protection through the fall and winter respiratory illness season, when the risk of COVID-19 is expected to be the highest,” the province explained.

Dr Lavoie going over the latest NACI recommendations for fall boosters (fourth for some, fifth for others)- strongly suggested for 65+ and those more vulnerable as well as recommended for those 12+.#covid19 #bcpoli @CityNewsVAN

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) July 8, 2022

To date, the province says nearly 94 per cent of people 12 and up in B.C. have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Just more than 91 per cent have received two.

When it comes to boosters, uptake is not quite as popular. Just less than 60 per cent of people 12 and up in B.C. have gotten their first booster – meaning more than a million British Columbians are still without.

Meanwhile, 64 per cent of people who have been identified as part of vulnerable populations who are currently eligible for the second booster – or fourth shot, in many cases – have gotten it.

Currently, only those who are immunocompromised or older than 70, as well as Indigenous people over 55, and people in long-term care — assuming it’s been six months or longer since their third shot — are being invited to receive a second booster. Pregnant people are not among the list of those eligible. Out of these groups, those in LTC and AL are the most vaccinated at 76 per cent.

Despite the current increase in hospitalizations in B.C., numbers remain well below what the province saw at the start of the year when Omicron was at its peak. 

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Last month, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) suggested boosters should be offered to everyone ahead of a predicted fall wave.

As people in B.C. awaited updates on when they could get a fourth shot, many didn’t want to wait, opting to travel stateside to receive a booster in Washington state.

“So we went down to the United States with our Canadian proof of our first two vaccines, and signed up, and the U.S. gives away free shots to anyone who happens to be in the country, whether they’re citizens or not,” Port Moody’s Scott Montague told CityNews.

Meanwhile, children under the age of five remain the only age group ineligible for COVID-19 vaccines.

Previously, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said whenever the shot is approved, B.C. will be ready to roll out those vaccines.

Health Canada tweeted Tuesday that it expects to reach a decision by mid-July on whether to approve Moderna’s shot for children between six months and five years old.

A Health Canada spokesperson says regulators are still working out a timeline for their review of Pfizer-BioNTech’s application.

With files from Martin MacMahon, Andrew Cowie, Hana Mae Nassar, Denise Wong, and The Canadian Press