Some British Columbians who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be contacted for their second dose starting later this week, according to B.C.’s top doctor.
Those who received their first dose in March and April, as well as clinically vulnerable people, will receive second dose information in the coming days, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a press briefing to detail B.C.’s restart plan.
“We are moving up the second dose for everybody, but particularly for people who are older, people who have immune-compromising conditions, people who are on our clinically extremely vulnerable list,” Henry said.
“That is happening later this week as we’re able to get more vaccine in and getting people moved up on those lists.”
Henry said in March that the province would extend the interval between doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to 16 weeks. Last week, she said it was likely that many British Columbians will get a second dose of COVID-19 vaccine sooner than that.
She said Tuesday that the province plans to reduce the interval between doses for everyone in the province, but noted, “we want to make sure we’re not giving it too soon.”
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Henry said there is research that indicates a three-month interval between doses can produce a better immune response, particularly in older people.
“We want to give enough time so that the immune system can have an optimal response,” she said.
Henry said the province is preparing a plan in case expected shipments of the Moderna vaccine don’t arrive on schedule. Plans could include using the Pfizer vaccine for a second dose if needed.
She said guidance is expected next week on whether those who received a dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can receive the Pfizer vaccine as a second dose.
“We are continuing to wait on data to give best advice about what people who received AstraZeneca should do for their second dose,” Henry said.
“We have meetings with our counterparts in the U.K. around some of the important studies that have been done there.”
A study out of Spain found that giving a dose of the Pfizer vaccine to people who already received a first shot of AstraZeneca is safe and effective.
Henry said she plans to provide more details on second doses on Thursday.
She noted that the priority remains to get a first dose of vaccine to as many British Columbians as possible.
More than 2.9 million doses have been administered in B.C., 148,000 of which are second doses.
Henry said a computer glitch over the weekend created some confusion as several people received an invitation to book their second shot.
She said the bug has been fixed and those bookings will still be honoured.
— With files from Reuters
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