B.C.’s top doctor says she expects children between the ages of five and 11 will be able to get their COVID-19 vaccine shots before the holidays.
Dr. Bonnie Henry emphasized during a Tuesday briefing that the jabs will not be mandatory.
“But it will give your children as much protection as possible,” she said.
Israel gave the OK to administering the Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) vaccine to children in that age group on Sunday, while U.S. authorities approved it earlier this month. Health Canada officials said last week they expect to make a decision on whether or not to approve the vaccine within one to two weeks.
This version of the vaccine has been designed specifically for children, which makes for smaller doses “and that will mean less pain and discomfort with the shots,” Henry said.
She’s been in contact with colleagues in the U.S. about their experiences administering the vaccines for this age group and noted that the vaccines offer strong protection against COVID-19.
Henry said once given approval in Canada, health officials will begin contacting parents who’ve already registered their children for the COVID-19 vaccinations.
“By registering now, your children likely … [will] be able to receive this vaccine before the upcoming holidays,” she said.
B.C. received 5,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) COVID-19 vaccine on Friday, but Henry said there were some delays transporting them to the Interior amid severe rainstorms battering much of the southern portion of the province the past few days.
She said the province will be relying on “alternate ways” of transporting doses into communities amid extensive highway closures.
The Pfizer and Moderna Inc. (NYSE:MRNA) vaccines, which have made up the vast majority of doses offered to Canadians, are both messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.
J&J is a viral vector vaccine, similar to the AstraZeneca plc vaccine. But unlike AstraZeneca, it is a single-shot vaccine.
The J&J vaccine was just recently approved for use for a booster shot in the U.S.
The province had already begun offering mRNA boosters to British Columbians, which AstraZeneca recipients also qualify for. Henry said British Columbians interested in getting the one-dose J&J vaccine can reach out to the Immunize B.C. call centre at 1-833-838-2323.
Health Minister Adrian Dix confirmed on Tuesday that 242,460 booster doses have been administered in B.C. since the province began its booster campaign in September. That amounts to about 5% of the eligible population.
The timing for booster shots will depend on recipients’ ages and risk levels, while vaccines will also be made available concurrently for children five to 11, pending approval from Health Canada.
Higher-risk populations are considered to be those ages 70 years and older, as well as Indigenous populations in rural locations, residents in long-term-care and assisted-living, the immunosuppressed and health-care workers who received their initial two doses at a shorter interval than the general population.
Dix also confirmed that 2,885 unvaccinated health-care workers remain off the job amid a province-wide mandate. Last Tuesday that number stood at 3,071.
Henry also revealed B.C. has its first confirmed case of Delta variant of the sub-lineage AY4.2, which was first identified in the U.K.
She said officials are observing this sub-lineage to see if “they’re associated with less effectiveness of the vaccine.”
