Now that the Thanksgiving long weekend is over, the B.C. government is starting to send out invitations to the province’s most vulnerable populations to get both the COVID-19 booster and flu shot.
Seniors, healthcare workers, and those with chronic health conditions will receive the invitations first, and then everyone else.
Invitations will go out via email or text to those who’ve registered and have previously received a COVID-19 vaccination in B.C. You can also call 1.833.838.2323 to book an appointment.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says COVID-19 is spreading rapidly, again – something that could be our new norm every fall – and the updated booster is key to protecting the community.
“What we need to focus on now is this updated vaccine that will protect us from what’s going around right now. And get that extra boost to that long-term immunity we still have,” she said.
Henry adds most people have, what she describes as, “hybrid immunity.”
“Almost everybody has had at least one booster and we know that many of them have hybrid immunity. The majority of us have hybrid immunity from infections and exposures to Omicron over the past year, so that gives us a really good buffer.”
Omicron has been the dominant strain in B.C. for a while, and Henry says if you’re feeling unwell and unsure if you have COVID, test yourself.
“The rapid antigen tests that are still available in pharmacies right now – they still work – and we’ve been monitoring those to see if they pick up these new strains as well. They are still helpful. For people who are isolating at home and have a milder illness, it helps you to know if it’s COVID,” she explained.
She says even if your symptoms are mild, you should still be wearing a mask and doing so even after you beat the virus and may be indoors around people who may be compromised.
Henry stresses recent studies show the updated COVID booster does provide protection against the latest strains.
Recently, Health Canada approved the updated Moderna Spikevax vaccine and Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty shot.
Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) show an obvious trend when it comes to COVID-19 numbers.
As of Oct. 5, it finds the number of people in the hospital has increased in the last couple of weeks from 267 to 422. The number of people in the ICU is up, as well as the number of deaths has risen from nine, several weeks ago, to 24.
The BCCDC also confirms case numbers are exploding. “The number of infection episodes per week has increased from 133… to 877,” reads its website. “In the last 5 epi-weeks (Aug. 27- Sept. 30), infection episodes have increased notably among the 60+ age group, with a greater increase among the 80+ age group.”
Masks were re-introduced in healthcare settings as of Oct. 3.
source & photo : CityNews
