UPDATE: Premier, top doctor to discuss next steps in B.C. COVID immunization plan

VICTORIA – Health officials have called off the regular COVID-19 briefing in British Columbia as they prepare to update the province's strategy for immunization against the virus.

An advisory from the premier's office Thursday said the briefing by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix was cancelled.

Instead, they will join a news conference Friday with Premier John Horgan and Dr. Penny Ballem, who is leading B.C.'s COVID-19 immunization rollout.

The four are expected to comment on the next steps in the immunization program that has been complicated by a hiccup in vaccine supply from Pfizer-BioNTech.

Nearly 31,000 doses of vaccine the province expected by Jan. 29 could be curtailed due to production issues.

Two doses of the vaccine are needed to ensure immunity from the virus that causes COVID-19, and Dix said Tuesday that B.C. was set to begin delivery of second doses and remains committed to ensuring all those who have had the first shot get a second within 35 days.

Dix and Henry said in a joint statement on Wednesday that 98,125 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have already been administered.

Interior Health said in a statement Thursday that 215 people in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region have tested positive for COVID-19 since Jan. 1.

It said many of the infections are associated with social events or gatherings in Williams Lake, B.C.

But 74 cases have been identified in people living in nearby First Nations, with one Indigenous community in the Cariboo region dealing with a quarter of its population testing positive for the virus.

Chief Helen Henderson, of the Canim Lake Band, said the community has been in lockdown since Jan. 5, with crowded housing contributing to the outbreak, and one elder has died from the virus.

She said there 60 cases among the 234 people living in the community.

Henderson said all its members have now received a vaccination and she hopes the band is turning the corner on the outbreak.

— With files from CHNL.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 21, 2021.