Mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccines is safe and effective, Dr. Bonnie Henry says. (Photo: B.C. government Flickr.)
People in B.C. who received an mRNA vaccine for their first dose – either Pfizer or Moderna – should consider the two interchangeable for their second dose, said Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer.
As for those who got AstraZeneca for their first dose, the Canadian Advisory Council on Immunization on Thursday updated their guidelines to say that either Pfizer or Moderna is the preferred second dose, due to a stronger immune response.
Dr. Henry said people in B.C. who received AstraZeneca for their first dose will continue to have a choice of second dose.
Premier Horgan said he is going to get his second dose of AstraZeneca, since that will be the first shot offered.
“These are personal decisions,” Horgan said.
For those who received Moderna or Pfizer, efforts will be made to try to give people the same vaccine for both doses, but that may not always be possible, Dr. Henry said.
In early July, B.C. will receive much less Pfizer than expected, but will receive significant Moderna shipments, she said.
But don’t ask the person at the call centre who books your vaccine which version you will get. Dr. Henry says they do not have access to that information.
Three-quarters of all British Columbians over 12 have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, but the number of fully-vaccinated people is much lower. Studies have found that two doses are needed to be immune to the Delta variant, first identified in India.
Studies are underway to see if a third booster dose will be necessary, Dr. Henry said.
Dr. Henry recognized that variants are a concern, saying whole genome sequencing is now being done for every single case, to better track and trace variants.
“We are going back as we have been all along to making sure that we have strong resources to continue to follow every single case,” Dr. Henry said. “The testing, tracking, tracing that we’ve been doing all along continues to be an important part of how we can reopen safely.”
Here’s the rest of this week’s news:
- Early in the week, B.C. Premier announced B.C.’s move to step two in the reopening plan, ending the travel ban within B.C. and allowing larger, organized gatherings. “We are ready now to put COVID-19 behind us,” says B.C. Premier John Horgan. “What we need to do now is take the next careful steps forward.”
- Horgan discouraged inter-provincial travel, saying other Canadians should stay out of B.C. unless they have essential business here. “We will invite you back at the appropriate time when all British Columbians are prepared to welcome you. We have anxiety.”
- A COVID-19 outbreak of the Delta variant at an Alberta hospital includes 10 people who were fully vaccinated, the Globe and Mail reports.
- A Scottish study found that the Delta variant comes with double the hospitalization rate as the original COVID-19, Reuters reports.
- Parents with children face some interesting dilemmas over COVID-19, especially if both parents are fully vaccinated and the children are not, the Globe and Mail reports.
- Concerns are rising over young men and heart problems after COVID-19 vaccination, the Globe and Mail reports.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that Canada will donate 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to countries in need, Global TV reports.
- The United Kingdom’s reopening plans have been pushed back four weeks, thanks to a surge in cases with the Delta variant, the New York Times reports.
- Alberta is holding a lottery as an incentive for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the Canadian Press reports.
- B.C. schools will return to full-time, in-person learning in the fall, Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside announced.
- The death toll from COVID-19 topped 600,000 in the United States. Brazil follows closely with nearly 495,000 deaths. Worldwide, the total is now nearly four mi
- The United States is investing $3 billion in trying to develop a pill to treat COVID-19, the New York Times reports.
- Springsteen on Broadway will be the first New York Broadway show to reopen. Attendees will have to prove vaccination with American-approved vaccines, which will leave Canadians who received AstraZeneca out, the New York Times reports. Dr. Henry was asked about this and said that the World Health Organization-approved vaccines will be used to determine travel eligibility and this includes AstraZeneca. She doesn’t support private businesses asking for vaccination proof, but says private companies make their own decisions.
When I started writing the Pandemic Diary, I thought it might go on for six or eight weeks. It has now been 66 weeks and the COVID-19 news is still going strong, albeit on a more hopeful note that we might be headed for a post-pandemic world. That day can’t come soon enough.
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