Anyone who received AstraZeneca as a first shot will have the option to receive the same vaccine as a second dose, B.C.’s top doctor said Monday as she reported 1,360 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, including 36 in Island Health.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said by the beginning of June, the province hopes to be advised on results of studies on whether it’s better to get the same or a different vaccine as a second dose.
“You will have the option of receiving the second dose of AstraZeneca, and we have stocks coming in to be able to support that, or you can take the information once we have it and make your own decision about what you want for your second,” she said.
Stocks that were due to expire in May have been used, said Henry, and the province has about 20,000 doses that are good until the end of June.
“We will be providing the information as soon as we get it to help you make those decisions,” said Henry.
Protection from the first dose of AstraZeneca goes up over a period of as long as 12 weeks, she said.
There are now 5,021 active cases in the province, including 350 people in hospital, of whom 132 are in intensive or critical care.
In Island Health, there are 126 active cases of COVID-19, including 48 in the south, 50 in the central region and 28 in the north.
As the daily number of new cases trends downwards, Island Health says the majority of new cases since Jan. 1 were linked to a confirmed case, cluster or outbreak, while 15 per cent didn’t know how they were exposed. One per cent reported transmission via domestic travel while three per cent were exposed during international travel.
There were 14 new deaths reported on Monday, for a total of 1,648. The 14 deaths included one person in their 40s, one in their 50s, four in their 60s, four in their 70s, and four in their 80s.
“This again reminds us that this virus, while deferentially affecting the seniors and elders in our lives, also can have severe effects on young people, including people in their 40s and 50s and younger,” said Henry.
The coming long weekend will kick off summer for many, but with daily new cases in the 400s and 500s, people need to “hold the line,” Henry said.
“That’s why we can’t be making any changes right now,” she said. “We can’t be travelling, and we can’t be having large gatherings this weekend.”
After the weekend, public health experts will review the number of people vaccinated, as well as COVID-19 transmissions, the number of people in hospital and ICUs and the number of hospital beds and staff available, to determine “where we can go from here,” she said.
“What you do today determines where we will all be two to three weeks from now,” Henry said. “I don’t think anybody wants to see a surge of cases in two weeks. We need to keep moving forward.”
Restrictions imposed last month on travel as well as indoor dining, group adult fitness classes and faith gatherings remain in place until May 25. But Henry cautioned British Columbians not to expect restrictions to be lifted on the 25th.
The province reported 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, including more than 130,000 second doses. About 55 per cent of the 4.3 million adults eligible for a first shot have been vaccinated and three per cent have been fully vaccinated with a second dose. All three vaccines offered in B.C. require two doses.
B.C. was the first province to extend second doses of vaccine to as long as four months, but Henry said she expects most second doses will be delivered in a shorter time period.
Anyone 18 or older can register and book an appointment for a COVID vaccine.
It takes as long as three weeks or more to have the full protection from each vaccine dose, said Henry.
Those who have been vaccinated are advised to continue to keep their physical distance, wear a mask indoors and follow all other COVID-19 safety orders.
Almost 5,000 people have tested positive for COVID on the Island.
