Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. to offer COVID booster for 12-plus this fall

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Jul, 2022 03:43 PM
  • B.C. to offer COVID booster for 12-plus this fall

VANCOUVER - COVID-19 booster shots will be available to British Columbians aged 12 and over starting this fall.

Dr. Penny Ballem, the lead on B.C.'s COVID-19 immunization plan, said Friday that invitations will start going out Monday for those most vulnerable aged 65 and older.

The advantage of getting the shot this fall is that new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are expected to be more tailor-made to fight Omicron variants, she said.

Almost 94 per cent of B.C. residents have had their first shot, 91.2 per cent have had a second, but just 59.5 have had their booster.

She said 1.3 million people in B.C. have yet to receive their first booster and they should get that right away.

For those who have had their third shot, Ballem said the risk will be highest in the fall when COVID-19 will be circulating with other respiratory illnesses.

"Fall is the best time to get your next shot."

However, Ballem said people who feel they need their second booster now can contact health authorities and they will get their shot.

Up until now, B.C. has been offering second booster shots for people 70 years and older and Indigenous people 55 years and older.

Ballem said officials also hope to get approval by the end of July to give children aged six months to four years their vaccinations, but that still needs regulatory approval.

Acting provincial health officer Dr. Martin Lavoie said the latest wave of the Omicron variant BA.5 is increasing hospitalizations.

Lavoie said vaccine makers have learned a lot about adapting to variants and the developments are promising.

“What’s important to know now is that manufacturers have developed vaccines that will be better adapted to Omicron, which is great news,” he said.

“As the virus goes further away from the vaccine that we have now, we need to have a vaccine that is closely related to what circulates to be more effective.”

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control's most recent update reports 765 COVID-19 cases for the week of June 26 to July 2, up from 620 the previous week.

It also says there were 172 COVID-19 hospital admissions for the week of June 26 to July 2, while there were 209 admissions for the week prior.

The BCCDC says there were 24 COVID-19-related deaths this past week compared to 33 deaths from June 19 to 25.

MORE National ARTICLES

Leaf blowers, gas tools axed in Oak Bay, B.C.

Leaf blowers, gas tools axed in Oak Bay, B.C.
Councillors have voted unanimously in favour of a ban on the noisy, fume-producing tools, including chainsaws and lawn mowers. Users, from homeowners to professional landscaping companies, will have three years to phase out gas-powered items.    

Leaf blowers, gas tools axed in Oak Bay, B.C.

Airport shutdown prompted by inert grenades: RCMP

Airport shutdown prompted by inert grenades: RCMP
RCMP Cpl. Andres Sanchez describes the items as looking and feeling like "the real thing," but lacking the internal parts required to explode. He says airport security staff called 911 and held the bag in the X-ray machine until police arrived and found that a second bag belonging to the same man was also inside the machine, but it had yet to be scanned.

Airport shutdown prompted by inert grenades: RCMP

One dead in ammonia leak in Kamloops, B.C.

One dead in ammonia leak in Kamloops, B.C.
The city says in a written statement that the RCMP and firefighters responded to the scene and several businesses were evacuated. It says police and WorkSafeBC are investigating how the ammonia was released, and the coroners service has also launched an investigation.

One dead in ammonia leak in Kamloops, B.C.

B.C. regulator backs homebuyer cooling-off period

B.C. regulator backs homebuyer cooling-off period
The report released Thursday advises that sellers be required to provide reasonable access for a property inspection during the three-day homebuyer protection period, which would start the day after an offer is accepted.

B.C. regulator backs homebuyer cooling-off period

Man arrested after sexually assaulting four women at a busy Vancouver SkyTrain Station

Man arrested after sexually assaulting four women at a busy Vancouver SkyTrain Station
On Friday, May 13, 2022, just before 4:30 p.m., a woman was sitting on a bench inside Pacific Centre Mall, near Granville Station, when a man allegedly approached her, touched her hip and attempted to pull her toward him. The suspect was interrupted by a Paladin Security Guard who shouted at him to stop and then called police.

Man arrested after sexually assaulting four women at a busy Vancouver SkyTrain Station

Assault in Abbotsford, B.C., is now homicide

Assault in Abbotsford, B.C., is now homicide
Police say they were called to the parking lot of a large shopping mall in central Abbotsford at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. An unnamed man was found with life-threatening injuries and was treated in hospital but died a short time later.

Assault in Abbotsford, B.C., is now homicide