Wayne Martin received the new COVID-19 bi-valent vaccine in Victoria Tuesday believing “it might save somebody’s life” as Island Health began its fall booster program.
“They stabbed me once and I didn’t feel it,” said Martin at the Quadra Village Community Centre Gym, the site of a mass immunization clinic. He called the entire invitation-based process “a piece of cake.”
Moderna’s bivalent vaccine — which targets the original Wuhan virus and the highly transmissible Omicron BA.1 subvariant — has been offered in pharmacies for about a week and at mass immunization clinics as of Monday.
Public health nurse Monica Stevenson at the immunization clinic on Tuesday said while appointments are being opened based on limited staffing, those appointments are filling up and as more staff come on board the clinics will soon be at capacity, possibly as early as next week.
“The idea is that every facility will have more than enough vaccine,” said Stevenson. There were 330 appointments booked at the Quadra site Tuesday and 66 at the Mary Winspear Centre. “But as we get more staff on we’ll be opening more adult and children appointments.”
Dr. Penny Ballem, executive lead for B.C.’s immunization program, has said as many as 1,100 pharmacies are expected to participate in the fall booster program and about 100 health authority clinics.
The bi-valent vaccine is available to adults 18 and older, and youth ages 12-17 designated clinically extremely vulnerable and considered high risk for serious illness from the virus.
Youth ages 12 to 17 with no health risks will receive regular COVID-19 vaccines, and children age five to 11 will continue to receive the pediatric Pfizer vaccine. Children age six months to four years are not eligible for a booster.
There are discussions, said Stevenson, of possibly having COVID-19 vaccines offered at schools in November and December along with regular immunization programs depending on the amount of interest in that idea and the uptake of the COVID vaccine amongst youth at health authority clinics.
Medical health officer Dr. Dee Hoyano stressed the importance for people at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19 to make an appointment for their booster as soon as they receive their invitation.
People at risk of poor outcomes from contracting the disease include those in long-term care and assisted living, people over age 60 but particularly over age 80, those who are homebound or clinically extremely vulnerable, First Nations, MeĢtis, or Inuit adults, and people living in congregate settings or marginalized communities.
Island Health expects the influenza vaccine will be available as soon as mid-October when people will be able to get their flu shot and COVID-19 booster shot in the same appointment.
Stevenson said there’s no additional possible side affects — soreness or cold-like symptoms — that come from having the vaccines at the same time.
“It will save people a lot of time,” said Stevenson. “I forecast that we’re probably going to see a huge uptake closer to when the two are running together.”
Invitations for the COVID-19 vaccine started going out Monday via text and email to people who are registered through the province’s Get Vaccinated website.
Health officials are encouraging everyone five and older to get a COVID-19 booster at the recommended interval — six months from the last COVID vaccine, three months since the last COVID infection for people who are vaccinated, and as soon as possible for people who have been infected but remain unvaccinated.
Stevenson acknowledged there is “vaccine fatigue” but said people should consider what the vaccine has allowed us to achieve over the last two years of the pandemic. Health officials are once again “trying to get ahead of this virus before it gets ahead of us again.”
“We’ve gone from situations where we’ve had to lock down and self isolate and keep our bubbles really really small,” said Stevenson. “And with a vaccine, it has allowed us to open up our lives and continue with our lives.”
Martin has had two primary COVID-19 shots against the original Wuhan strain, and now two boosters for a total of four doses.
Martin doesn’t believe he’s had COVID-19 and takes precautions in addition to vaccination. He doesn’t see a risk in taking the vaccine and personally feels a moral obligation to take it to protect others.
Those who have not registered for vaccination can do so through the province’s Get Vaccinated website, gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated or phone 1-833-838-2323 seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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