The B.C. government has announced its fall vaccine rollout plan for COVID and influenza.
At a press conference Thursday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said vaccines will start to arrive in B.C. in early October.
Once they have arrived, Henry said, priority populations will be invited to book vaccine appointments.
This includes people most at risk of severe illness and complications, such as seniors 65 and older, residents in long-term care facilities, Indigenous peoples, pregnant people and those with chronic health conditions (e.g., cancer, HIV, hepatitis C, diabetes), as well as health-care workers, the government outlined in a release.
Following that stage, invitations for appointments for everyone else will begin on Oct. 10.
People will be able to receive COVID and influenza vaccines at the same time if they wish, Henry said.
The vaccines will be available at pharmacies, health authority clinics and some primary care providers’ offices throughout B.C.
“We are starting to see increasing respiratory virus infections in B.C., including COVID-19, and now is the time to remember the healthy habits we can all do to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our communities,” Henry said.
“That includes covering your cough, cleaning your hands regularly, staying away from others if you have a cough or a fever, wearing masks if you have lingering symptoms or need extra protection and getting the updated COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. By getting immunized for both COVID-19 and influenza, we are not only protecting ourselves, but also those around us.”
B.C. will also be re-introducing its mask mandate in health-care settings starting Tuesday, Oct. 3.
Health Canada has already approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5. COVID-19 vaccines and the Moderna Spikevax vaccine.
Henry said both will be available in B.C. soon and they target the XBB.1.5 subvariant for people six months of age and older.
The updated Novavax vaccine is expected to be approved shortly and will also be available in B.C.
“An increase in hospital visits with the fall respiratory illness season requires measures to ensure our acute care is effective and our health-care system is strong, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, said in a statement.
“We all know that getting immunized is the best way for us to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the B.C. health-care workers we rely on. We all know that to keep ourselves healthy and our health-care system strong, we all need to do our part. And by getting our free and readily available COVID-19 and influenza vaccines at the same time, we’re all doing precisely what’s needed.”
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