Vaccine supply issues delay rollout for B.C.’s elderly population: Dr. Bonnie Henry

B.C.’s elderly are being asked to be patient with the delay in getting vaccinated but the details of how that will be done aren't coming until after the Family Day long weekend.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry had hoped to move to the second phase of the province’s vaccination program before the end of February, but the drop-off in the supply of vaccine the past couple of weeks is slowing that down.

Still, she hopes to get clinics and other delivery methods going by March. Eligible people will be contacted and a hot line will be set up.

“It will not necessarily be your family doctor who will be calling,” she said during a briefing today, Feb. 5. “We will be connecting with people in a number of ways. We’re using what we know about people, by age, and their MSP, for example, to connect with them."

Right now, the focus of the provincial vaccination program is on the most vulnerable, especially those living and working in long-term care homes.

Next, the program moves to people 80 years and older living in the community, Indigenous people over 65, hospital staff and others. See more here.

Dr. Henry hopes the supply of vaccines ramps up in the next couple of weeks so clinics can open for this group in March. There will also be workers assigned to help reach those who have mobility issues.

Once all those have received their vaccinations, the program will move to those under the age of 80 but go by age groups, oldest to youngest, with the target to have everyone who wants a vaccine to be vaccinated by the end of September.

The province has received more than 150,000 doses of vaccines but had none of the Pfizer product delivered last week and limited amounts this week.

It’s also essential to administer second doses to those who started getting injected before Christmas. Only about 5,000 of those second doses have been administered.

Out of all those vaccinations, there have been 205 adverse reactions in B.C., Dr. Henry said. That’s about 14 per 10,000 doses which is a number that was expected.

About one quarter of the reactions (55) were considered serious. Most were allergic reactions and only a few people had to be hospitalized for a short period of time, she said.

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