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| Doctor Bonnie Henry was back at the podium on Tuesday making her first appearance at a COVID update since earlier this summer |
A Tuesday information session featuring Heath Minister Adrian Dix and Doctors Bonnie Henry and Penny Ballem charted out the provincial plan towards COVID vaccination this fall, a roll out that will include a new combination bivalent vaccine as part of the vaccine program.
In an backgrounder to the Tuesday presentation the province noted of the new vaccine option as well as the booster program and the eligibility parameters for it.
This new vaccine will be available to all adults over the age of 18 and youth from 12 to 17 years who are at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. Invitations will go out over the coming days and weeks.
This vaccine offers enhanced protection against COVID-19 by targeting the original virus strain and is effective against Omicron subvariants, which continue to be the most common subvariants in B.C.
As with the previous doses, the timing of invitations will be based on risk and age, as long as it has been six months since the previous dose. Priority groups will continue to include people over the age of 60, Indigenous Peoples of all ages, people who are clinically extremely vulnerable and people, such as eligible health-care workers, who work with high-risk and vulnerable individuals.
Children and youth, from five to 17, are also eligible for booster doses. Parents and guardians will receive invitations to book booster appointments when their children are eligible.
The presentation expanded on what Bivlaent Vaccines are all about and how it targets the original COVID virus and the more recent Omicron variant, which provincial authorities say is the dominant strain at the moment.
As for the Booster campaign, the details of the modelling for the fall program was outlined, with the suggestion of health officials that British Columbians consider getting their Booster and Flu shot at the same time if possible, that to gain the best protection for the upcoming respiratory season and the anticipated surge of COVID cases that they expect for November and December of this year.
The near one hour session provided some background on what health officials have learned over the summer about the prospects for the fall, noting of the range of tools now available to address COVID both through vaccines and treatments for those who do contract the virus.
Should you have had a COVID infection, the advice is that you should wait three months since your infection before getting your next shot, while those who have yet to start their vaccination program they were used to get their first shots as soon as they can, to then follow that up with the remainder of the regimen.
Doctor Ballem outlined the range of the vaccination programs from the youngest to oldest and with a particular focus on those students that have returned to school and need the layers of protection that are now being made available.
The Doctor noted that the province hopes to have both the new vaccine and the flu vaccine available for distribution by the first week of October, with the use of pharmacies and health authorities once again the method of delivering the vaccine.
The process will again make use of the invitation process that will invite you to make your appointment.
You can review the full presentation from the Health officials through the replay of yesterday's session which you can review below.
More notes on how the COVID program will roll out in the Northern Health area will be shared through the Northern Health social media and other information feeds.
Further notes on Health Care in the Northwest can be explored from our archive pages.
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