As the province plans future waves of COVID-19, British Columbia’s chief doctor says it is unclear whether all residents will need a fourth dose of the vaccine.
In his first public briefing in more than a month, Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry said it was possible “only some people need another dose”, such as the elderly over the age of 70 and people who are clinically vulnerable.
“We still don’t know if we will all need another dose of vaccine in the fall or if protection from the three doses will carry most of us,” Henry said Tuesday.
“We need to find that balance if you need it and how long the defense will last.”
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The National Immunization Advisory Committee recommends four doses – or a second booster – to those in high-risk populations, including long-term residents, immunocompromised individuals, indigenous peoples and those over 70 years of age.
At BC, nearly 78,400 people have already received a fourth dose, including those who are clinically vulnerable and those in long-term care. Health Minister Adrian Dix said next week that more than 70,000 people over the age of 70 would also be eligible to participate.
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Henry said the “break” for the fourth dose was determined using infection and hospitalization data in the province, which offer a look at who has declining immunity to the vaccine based on the severity of their illness after three doses.
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“These are people with severe clinically immune-compromising conditions – people with solid organ transplants, such as (or) haematological malignancies,” she explained. “They need an extra boost.
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“We also saw that there was really good protection of three doses for most people, really up to 80 years old, but definitely up to 70 years old, and we saw a slight increase in hospitalizations over 70 years old.”
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People in this age group were first immunized in BC, so their immunity declines faster. For most others, however, Henry said a third dose would be enough to switch them to Omicron and protect them from the hospital.
The province will also monitor data on third and fourth doses from other countries, she added.
The intake of the fourth shot is lower among eligible people than the third shot, Dix said, but hopes the numbers will improve in the coming weeks.
Alberta had a similar experience.
It has been almost a month since this province began offering a fourth dose to people aged 70 and over, all first nations, mestizos and Inuit people aged 65 and over, and all seniors in maintained housing. Just over 100,000 Alberts received a fourth dose as of May 2, including seven percent of eligible people between the ages of 70 and 74.
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“With files from Carolyn Curie de Castillo.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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