With the vaccination of long-term care residents and staff in B.C. now well underway, attention is turning to another vulnerable group.
The province announced that seniors over the age of 80 will soon get more information about how they’ll be getting a shot.
“We are looking forward to early in March when we anticipate being able to fully start our mass vaccination clinics,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said on Monday.
“People who are over age 80 in our community, in the coming days and weeks you will receive the information you need to know where your clinic will be or how you will receive vaccine.”
It’s good news for 83-year-old Vernon resident John Toporchak, who is among those looking forward to getting the vaccine.
“I think the faster, the better. At least we will have a little freedom,” Toporchak said.
Older seniors are particularly susceptible to negative outcomes from contracting COVID-19, so Toporchak has been limiting his outings.
“We can’t go wherever we want to go. We used to go out at least once a week to have a meal and (now) you can’t go because you don’t know what’s going to come to you,” he said.
It’s a similar story for 85-year-old Gyula Kiss, a former Coldstream councillor.
“I am surprised that it took so long, but they can’t help it if we don’t have the available vaccine. So I’m grateful that they are looking after it and I will be happy to get the vaccine,” Kiss said.
He’s eager to have more protection from the virus because he lives with a granddaughter who goes to high school.
“I go shopping with my mask and stuff like that but that’s about all,” said Kiss.
The details of the vaccination campaign for those over 80 are still being worked out, but the province has provided some insight into the logistics.
“It will not necessarily be your family doctor who will call you. we will be connecting with people in a number of ways,” said Henry on Friday.
“We are using what we know about people by age and their MSP for example to connect with them. Service BC is working. We are setting up a hotline so we can call people.”
As they wait to hear when they can get the vaccine, some seniors are already planning for what they’ll do after the pandemic.
“We can get together for coffee every morning and we can go out and travel a little bit, we’ve been locked up in the room,” Toporchak said.