B.C.'s top doctor says people should take 1st vaccine available, as province marks 15 more COVID-19 deaths

British Columbia's top doctor sayspeople in the province should take the first vaccine they're offered, as Canada's vaccine advisory committeereaffirmed its preference Monday for mRNA vaccines.

"Thefirst vaccine that you have access to is the one you should get and that includes the AstraZeneca vaccine," Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a Monday briefing.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) saidthe single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine should be offered to people 30 and older who don't want to wait for Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna, contradictingHealth Canada's mantra to opt for the first vaccine available.

"The viral-vector vaccines are very effective vaccines, but there is a safety signal, a safety risk," NACI vice-chair Dr. Shelley Deeks told a virtual news conference.

Henry agreed thatsome people may want to wait for an mRNA vaccine due to the risk of rare but potentially serious blood clots linked toJohnson & Johnsonand AstraZeneca, which are viral vector vaccines.

But she stressed that real-world evidence shows both types of vaccineare equally effective, providing high levels of protection against COVID-19 and preventing hospitalizations and deaths.

Henry noted her own family members have received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Downward trend

Henry's comments came as 15more British Columbians died from COVID-19 over a three-day period, while the province recorded 2,174 more cases.

Henry said all deaths were linked to people above the age of 70, with the exception of one person in their 50s. Most deaths occurred in hospitals, she said.

The province confirmed 835 cases Friday to Saturday, 671 cases Saturday to Sunday, and 668 cases Sunday to Monday, for a dailyaverage of 725 cases.

That marks a 13-per-cent drop from the previousMonday, as B.C.'sthird-wave curve continues to decline, more than a month after the province implemented a "circuit breaker"-style lockdown on indoor activities.

"There are some encouraging signs that our efforts are working," Henry said.

"We are starting to come down on the other side of the curve. And as we have seen in places like the U.K. and the U.S., once we get down that curve, we can start to see dramatic decreases."

A total of 474 people are in hospital the lowest number since April 20 with176 peoplein intensive care.

But B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix warnedthat the numbers are still too high and straining the province's health-care system.

"The fact that in a number of health authorities, we are using surge [capacity]beds in our ICU, in particular, should tell us the need right now to be disciplined," he said.

There are 7,327 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, with 11,871 people under public health monitoring.

Vaccinations ramping up

As of Monday, 1,877,330 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, including 91,731second doses. More than 45 per cent of eligible British Columbians have now received a first dose.

Henry said vaccine bookings will acceleratethis week as shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines ramp up, with one million doses expected in May.

"We're entering into a new era, a new warp speed," she said.

Henry said the province will be able to meet its goal of providing the first shot to every eligible British Columbian by July 1 and likely sooner than that.

She said as increased shipments continue, the province should be able to shrinkthe four-month window between the first and second doses.

Henry noted concerns from people who may have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxfordvaccine and are unsure whether they'll get a second dose, due to limited supply.

She said federal officials are monitoring Canada's supply, while B.C. is eyeing studies, including one in the United Kingdom, that will determine the effectiveness of mixing vaccines.

"It may turn out that it is a better stronger immune response to receive a second dose with a different vaccine," she said. "We don't yet know that."

No big outdoor events

Henry also cautioned that large outdoor eventsare still not likely to take place this summer, or into the fall and winter next year.

The three-day Honda Celebration of Light fireworks event, one of the largest and most popular summer celebrations in Vancouver, has been cancelled this summer and will return in 2022, organizers announced Monday.

Watch | Dr. Bonnie Henry says small outdoor events may be allowed, but there will be no big outdoor events this summer

No fireworks, parades in B.C. this summer, provincial health officer says

3 years ago

Duration 1:11

Dr. Bonnie Henry says there won't be any big outdoor summer events like the fireworks festival, Canada Day celebrations or Pride parade this summer in the province due to risk of COVID-19 transmission.

"We have seen that things can change very quickly. We saw that in the last few weeks," Henry said, referring to the province's surging case numbers.

"But I can see many situations where we could have smaller, distanced outdoor events this summer, with perhaps hundreds of people."

Henry said the province is watching pilot programsin the U.K., including a warehouse club in Liverpool, England, that hosted 3,000 attendees who were tested before and after the event.

Register now

Henry also urged all B.C. residents to register online for their vaccinations, even those who received their first vaccine from a pharmacy.

She said pharmacies and workplaces are inputting doses into the province's immunization registry, but glitches and delays can happen.

"For example, I got my first dose of Pfizer, but got a notification that I was eligible for a shot last week as my age group became eligible," she said.

Anyone who has already received a first dose and receives an invite from the province can ignore it, she said. Residents will receive another invite when their second dose approaches.

Everyone 18 and older canregister for their vaccination, while B.C. residents aged 54 and older who have registered to be vaccinatedare now receiving invitations from the province to book their shots.

There arethree ways to register:

• Onlinethrough the "Get Vaccinated" portal.
• By phone through the provincial phone line at 1-833-838-2323.
• In person at any Service B.C. location.

Registering for a vaccine is not the same as booking the appointment to get your shot. Once registered, users receive a confirmation code. They thenwait for an email, text or call telling them they are eligible and can then booktheir vaccine appointment using that code.

The province is also continuing to vaccinatepeople between the ages of 30 and 65 with the AstraZeneca-Oxfordvaccinein local pharmacies throughout the province.