Thursday November 9, 2023 | VICTORIA, BC | COVID NEWS SECTION
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends | SEE NOV 10 ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS BELOW (Updated 1:33 pm Nov 10/23)
On Friday November 10, BC Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr Bonnie Henry will provide what they’re calling a ‘one month update’ on the province’s respiratory illness season and immunization campaign.
The media update will be delivered from the Vancouver Cabinet Offices at 12:15 pm. Livestream available on YouTube.
Nov 10, 2023 update summary:
- Fall immunization uptake so far 1,072,000+ doses of influenza vaccine and 847,458 COVID vaccines. “The campaign continues to be strong,” said Dix.
- Fourth respiratory season since the pandemic began, noted Health Minister Dix.
- Repeated emphasis on good hygiene habits (get vaccinated, cover mouth/nose when coughing, wash hands with soap and water, do a daily check-in on your own health and that of your family, stay home when sick).
- Dix says the success of this year’s respiratory illness season immunization campaign (now one month in) is a combination of the roles of the ‘booking system, pharmacies, public health and people’.
- More appointments are being added to the system.
- Majority of vaccine recipients are getting both COVID and influenza at the same time.
- COVID infections levelling off, but more influenza and RSV being seen. Most COVID hospitalizations are with older people.
- About 80% of the influenza infections are Influenza A and H1N1; very little Influenza B.
- Wastewater surveillance shows that more influenza and RSV infections are expected.
- Second peak of infections expected two weeks after the Christmas/New Year season “especially Influenza B”, said Dr Henry. She encourages people to get immunized now, ahead of socialization in the holiday season.
- Highest risk populations continue to be seniors (age 65+) as well as people with health compromises; also residents of long-term care, Indigenous persons, pregnant women, and health-care workers.
- There’s a lot of mild illness; some people don’t even realize they’ve had COVID or influenza, said Dr Henry. Pay attention to fever and cough as signs you may have a respiratory infection.
- Avian flu (H5N1) is not normally transmissible to humans; workers in poultry farm areas should take additional hygiene precautions.
One month in:
The immunization program with vaccines for COVID and influenza has been rolling out across BC for about a month; the campaign started after the Thanksgiving long weekend.
Many community clinics have been set up in the same locations as during the pandemic. In some ways it now seems routine.
mRNA vaccines:
The mRNA vaccine for COVID seems to be offered as the Moderna product called Spikevax, though the Pfizer-BioNTech product called Comirnaty can be requested.
Shots are available to all ages (over 6 months).
Rather than being called a booster, the new shots (updated to try and tackle the latest mutation of the Omicron strain of COVID) are being considered an annual respiratory season shot — just the way people get an annual flu shot.
According to a November 10, 2023 BC Health news release, Health Canada approved the Moderna Spikevax vaccine on September 12, 2023 and the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5 vaccine on September 28, 2023. Both are mRNA vaccines that target the XBB1.5 strain. About 101,550 doses of Moderna (Spikevax) arrived in BC this week. Government expects 126,720 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty) to be delivered the week of November 20, 2023.
The Province ordered 2.8 million COVID-19 vaccines and 2.3 million influenza vaccines for the 2023-24 respiratory season. Dix notes that’s a record supply of influenza vaccine for BC.
Appointments:
COVID and flu shots can be received at the same clinic visit.
Immunization appointments can be booked online or by phone at 1-833-838-2323. Register for online booking.
After getting your shot(s) a confirmation is sent by email or text.
===== GOVERNMENT LINKS:
- More about the influenza vaccines: https://www2 (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/immunizations/flu).gov.bc.ca/gov/content health/managing-your-health/immunizations/flu (https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/immunizations/flu)
- And: https://immunizebc.ca/influenza
- COVID-19 vaccine: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register#howto
- Healthy habits for respiratory illness season: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/info/response
===== RELATED:
- BC respiratory season: medical masking required & health-care workers must be vaccinated (September 28, 2023)
- COVID News: BA.2.86 variant detected in BC, first in Canada (September 2, 2023)
- Dr Henry hopes the fist bump sticks (April 6, 2023)
- Island Social Trends COVID NEWS SECTION (2020 to present)