This screen shot from a Washington state Governor Jay Inslee news release, shows the incentives our neighbours to the south are using to get people to take a COVID-19 shot.
If you are one of the 280,000 British Columbians who got AstraZeneca for your first vaccine dose, fear not. You will be able to choose which type of vaccine you want for your second dose.
The most difficult thing might be making that decision.
“It's a challenging question and I've been asked that by my family members," said Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s public health officer. “It is always preferable to have the same vaccine for both doses, but it is safe and effective to have a different second vaccine if you need to.”
The risk of blood clots appears to be less for dose two and the effectiveness of the vaccine is just as good with two doses of AstraZeneca, Dr. Henry said. Studies have shown that if you have a different vaccine for your second dose, you are more likely to have side effects, but not the serious side effects, Dr. Henry said.
And then, there is some data that shows the AstraZeneca vaccine might create stronger long-term immunity, she said.
“It may be that that provides some advantage for people who had at least one dose of AstraZeneca,” she said.
People who got AstraZeneca for dose one at a pharmacy will be contacted by that pharmacy, she said. They will also get an invitation to book through the provincial age-based program and can choose which to accept.
When asked which would be faster, her response was non-committal. She said it may be faster at pharmacies, but it will depend on where you live and how busy the provincial clinics and pharmacies are. Don’t call us, we’ll call you, she said, urging people not to bombard pharmacies with phone requests for appointments.
One piece of good news: the AstraZeneca in B.C. is not set to expire until the end of June, unlike some batches in Eastern Canada that had their end-of-May expiry dates extended one month.
More good news: 71.8 per cent of adults older than 18 in B.C. have had at least one vaccine dose. That’s now higher than in the United States, where they are giving incentives and having contests to get people to take the jab.
Washington state on Thursday announced the “Shot of a Lifetime” giveaway through the state lottery, which will offer prizes like $2 million in lottery cash, university tuition, sports and airline tickets, gift cards and game systems to people who get vaccinated.
About 63 per cent of Washingtonians older than 16 have had at least one dose and Washington is set to fully reopen either on June 30 or when the percentage of people with first doses reaches 70 per cent, whichever comes first. The percentage of people who are fully vaccinated is higher in the U.S. than in Canada.
B.C. is not yet offering any incentives, and likely won’t have to.
Meanwhile, here’s the rest of the COVID-19 news for this week:
- A new COVID-19 variant that is a combination of the variant first identified in the United Kingdom and the one first identified in India has been found in Vietnam, the Globe and Mail reports. This mutation spreads quickly and is believed to be more transmissable than the original COVID-19.
- The National Advisory Committee on Vaccines decided that people in Canada who received the AstraZeneca vaccine can choose to take either Pfizer or Moderna for their second dose, the Globe and Mail reports. That’s after 41 people got blood clots and five people died following AstraZeneca vaccination. The advice on mixing and matching is not entirely consistent: Oxford University regius professor of medicine Sir John Bell told CTV News’ Question Period that mixing and matching vaccines can cause severe side effects. Dr. Henry confirmed this in her briefing, as mentioned above.
- The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) updated its guidelines to say that second doses of COVID-19 vaccines should be offered as soon as possible.
- Twelve children in B.C. were given Moderna vaccine instead of Pfizer, which is the only vaccine approved for children, the Canadian Press reported.
- The World Health Organization has come up with a new naming system for COVID-19 variants of concern and variants of interest. They’re using Greek letters, to make them easier to remember and to reduce place-based stigma. So, the variant first identified in Britain is Alpha, the variant first identified in South Africa is Beta, the variant first identified in Brazil is Gamma and the variant first identified in India is Delta.
- The Delta variant has been seen in B.C. -- there have been about 500 cases so far. But the British variant, now known as Alpha, and the Brazilian variant, now known as Gamma, are still predominant here, Dr. Henry said.
- Ontario is having an uptick in cases, which could jeopardize its reopening plan, CTV reports. Schools in that province will remain closed to in-person instruction for this school year.
- Schools in Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba will also remain closed for the remainder of this school year, Global News reports.
By next week, many more British Columbians will be fully vaccinated. It can't happen a moment too soon, even without incentives.
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