Tuesday March 9, 2021 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Editor | Island Social Trends
Of the four vaccines approved for use in Canada, British Columbians may have some choice as to which vaccine they can receive, said Health Minister Adrian Dix today. A similar statement was made by Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry several weeks ago.
Dix was speaking from his office today at the legislature during a media scrum via Zoom following an announcement about a new Urgent Primary Care Centre in Penticton.
The first two vaccines used in BC have been the mRNA types — Pfizer and Moderna. The other two more recently approved vaccines are the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which are the viral vector type (similar to vaccine types used in the pre-COVID era). Health Canada approves all vaccines for use in this country.
The number of doses for each vaccine will vary. The manufacturers of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca recommend two doses based on their trials and product profile as approved by Health Canada. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose.
The best vaccine is the one you’re offered:
“The best vaccine is the one you are offered,” is the advice delivered by pretty much an doctor anywhere, including Dr Henry in recent days and weeks. That sort of statement is based on the very real scenario that Canadians are still in a health emergency, even if many people are now numbed to the fact by ongoing rollouts of COVID case numbers and exasperation at dealing with restrictions like physical distancing, wearing masks, and very limited social contact.
There has been some vaccine hesitancy in BC and Canada regarding the COVID-19 vaccines overall, but today Minister Dix said that phenomenon is diminishing. An Angus Reid poll showed that same indication in recent days. Likely the interest in becoming vaccinated against COVID (as to, say, the annual flu) is related to how serious the COVID infection can be and how longstanding the pandemic has been.
“There has been enormous interest” in vaccination, said Dix today. People have been booking appointments by phone (and online, in Fraser Health) for people currently eligible (over age 90, or over 65 if Indigenous). On the first day over 1.7 million calls were received by the call-in lines (though the system was underprepared, partly blamed on the service provider TELUS).
Essential workers:
Dix said today that some essential workers may want to wait until their age group is called, if they want some choice in the type of vaccine they are receiving. Though at the moment (early in the immunization program when essential workers are higher up in the priority list), it’s the mRNA vaccines that are presently available in BC, and those are the ones considering (for now) the most efficacious (over 90% efficacy toward preventing serious illness and apparently almost eliminating the likelihood of death).
Where you get your vaccination:
Dix did not say whether the immunization location would impact the options for which type of vaccine. Island Social Trends had asked if it would make a difference as to whether the shot is received at a community centre, pharmacy or doctor’s office.
However, it’s more likely (based on what has been frequently said about the storage requirements and mobility flexibility of the different types of vaccines) that the ones that stable a fridge temperature (AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson) are the ones that will more likely be made available at pharmacies and doctor’s offices.
There are 180 clinic locations around BC in Phase 2 (for people age 80+ up to mid-April), with more in Phase 3 (broader rollout for more ages in descending order), said Dix today. The BC Immunization Plan has been adapted to make sure as many people as possible can be vaccinated by early July. This is being made possible by stretching any second doses to an interval of 16 weeks, and to help contain viral spread during the summer months during which people are likely to be more socially active.
“Choose your location and go get immunized,” is how easy Dix made it sound for people to get the COVID vaccine. He reminded media that there are 4.3 million people (adults) to be immunized in BC in a matter of just a few months. “It’s a big process,” Dix said in stating the obvious.
