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[IronNoggin]

Province shifts to Phase 3: millions to book vaccine appointments online​

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021PREM0024-000634

All eligible adults in B.C. will soon be able to follow an easy, three-step process to register and book their vaccine appointments online, as the Province moves to Phase 3 of B.C.’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan ahead of schedule.

“British Columbians faced the countless challenges of this past year with incredible courage,” said Premier John Horgan. “Today marks a major milestone in our fight against COVID-19, and we ask everyone to wait their turn and follow three steps to help put this pandemic behind us.”

There are three easy steps to register to book your vaccine appointment:

    Register: First, register when it is your turn and get a confirmation code.
    Book: Book a vaccine appointment when you get an email, text or phone call telling you you are eligible to book, based on your age.
    Get vaccinated: Visit a vaccine clinic to get your vaccine dose.

Starting at 8 a.m. (Pacific time), on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, people born in 1950 and earlier (71 and older), Indigenous peoples 18 and older, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable may register to book their vaccine appointment through the Province’s new ‘Get Vaccinated’ system in one of three ways:

    online at: gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated
    by telephone through a provincial call centre (toll-free) at 1 833 838-2323
    in-person at the nearest Service BC location.

“We encourage everyone in B.C. to get their vaccine at their first opportunity, when it is their turn,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.

Check in regularly to know when it is your turn to register: gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated

To preserve system capacity, please wait until your age cohort is called to register.

“With more vaccine supply, we are taking an important step into Phase 3 of our immunization plan, and I encourage anyone who has questions to go to the BC Centre for Disease Control website to learn more about the safe and effective vaccines we have here in B.C.,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer. “Every vaccine delivered makes all of us safer – let’s keep our momentum going and get everyone who wants one, their first dose by Canada Day.”

People aged 55 to 65 on the Lower Mainland continue to be eligible to book an appointment to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine at a participating pharmacy near them:
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/pharmacy
More news to expand B.C.’s AstraZeneca program through pharmacies in other regions will come in the days ahead.

“We have worked diligently and tirelessly to get this online registration, booking and tracking system ready for British Columbians,” said Dr. Penny Ballem, executive lead, B.C.’s COVID-19 immunization program. “I want to thank the regional health authorities for delivering the clinics. Now, with the help of the new online and single phone number system, we’re ready to move onto the next phase of the largest vaccination program in B.C. history.”

To date, nearly 770,000 eligible British Columbians – or one in six – have received their first dose of vaccine, and more than 87,000 have received their second dose. If B.C.’s vaccine supply is delivered as scheduled, everyone in B.C. who is eligible for the vaccine will receive their first dose by the end of June.

Learn More:

On April 6, 2021, gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated will be available in 12 different languages.

For language assistance with registration, call (toll-free) 1 833 838-2323, available in 140 different languages.

For technical immunization information, visit the BC Centre for Disease Control’s website: www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine

For more information on what to expect when you go to get vaccinated for COVID-19, visit:
www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine/getting-a-vaccine

[RalphH]

those who are clinically extremely vulnerable may register to book their vaccine appointment through the Province’s new ‘Get Vaccinated’ system

people who are in this situation (like me) must wait until at least April 15th to receive a letter authorizing them to get a vaccine:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/cev

Review the list to determine if you are clinically extremely vulnerable. ...If you're on the clinically extremely vulnerable list, you will receive a patient invitation letter. The letter will be mailed to your home address on file with your Personal Health Number.

Letters will be mailed starting March 24 and should arrive by April 15

If you're on the clinically extremely vulnerable list and you haven't received your patient invitation letter by April 15, it may be because:

    You recently moved to B.C.
    You had a treatment in another province
    You don't get medication through the BC PharmaNet system
    Your home address on file is outdated

....

Starting April 15, you can try booking an appointment using the online Get Vaccinated registration and booking tool or call centre. Using your Personal Health Number, the registration system or phone agent will confirm if you're eligible. .

[typhoon]

people who are in this situation (like me) must wait until at least April 15th to receive a letter authorizing them to get a vaccine:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/cev

My mother-in-law received her CEV letter more than a week ago. She is older so had already booked her appointment.

[IronNoggin]

Why the P1 Variant Poses So Great a Threat to BC

The virus mutation emerged in Brazil. It spreads explosively and slams the young.

https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/04/05/P1-Variant-Poses-Threat-BC/

[dennisK]

will we need to wait 4 months for the second shot?

[typhoon]

will we need to wait 4 months for the second shot?

Yes.
"B.C.'s approach is in line with recommendations from Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) to extend the interval between doses to 16 weeks or 4 months. "
http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine/getting-a-vaccine

[IronNoggin]

Yes.
"B.C.'s approach is in line with recommendations from Canada's National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) to extend the interval between doses to 16 weeks or 4 months. "

Which directly (and foolishly) ignores the advice of the manufacturer (Pfizer), the WHO, and most leading scientists on the matter:


Canada is ignoring the science on second doses

"World Health Organization weighs in on the dosage delay strategy by Britain and Canada

A recent editorial published in the British Medical Journal makes a good case for why the Canadian government’s risky dose-delay strategy to compensate for its failure to procure COVID-19 vaccines is a bad idea. It adds to a wealth of emerging scientific data, which clearly demonstrates that elderly people who have gotten their first dose of vaccine should get their second within the recommended 21 or 28 days, not 16 weeks.

The World Health Organization also weighed in on the dosage delay strategy by Britain and Canada, “urging the vaccine doses be given 21 to 28 days apart.”

Some worry that those who are only partially immunized will be susceptible to the more dangerous variants. That is a real concern, according to Paul Bieniasz, a retrovirologist at the Rockefeller University. “The virus is going to evolve in response to antibodies, irrespective of how we administer vaccines,” he told Scientific American. “The question is: would we be accelerating that evolution by creating country-sized populations of individuals with partial immunity?”

“We know that some of these discussions about changing the dosing schedule or dose are based on a belief that changing the dose or dosing schedule can help get more vaccine to the public faster. However, making such changes that are not supported by adequate scientific evidence may ultimately be counterproductive to public health.”

It’s amazing how the Canadian government has bucked the advice of so many other health agencies and medical journals, in its attempt to mitigate the damage done by the Liberals’ failure to procure enough life-saving vaccines for the Canadian public in time."

https://financialpost.com/diane-francis/diane-francis-canada-is-ignoring-the-science-on-second-doses

[IronNoggin]

U.S. expert says Canada is missing the chance to fight the P.1 COVID-19 variant

A top U.S. health expert who was among the first to sound the alarm about the COVID-19 pandemic last year is now raising concerns about the spread of the P.1 variant in Canada, warning the country is acting too slowly.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7736765/covid-canada-variants-us/


A third of Covid-19 survivors suffer 'brain disease,' study shows

As many as one in three people infected with Covid-19 have longer term mental health or neurological symptoms, researchers reported Tuesday.

They found 34% of Covid-19 survivors received a diagnosis for a neurological or psychological condition within six months of their infection, according to the study published Tuesday in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/04/06/health/covid-neurological-psychological-lancet-wellness/index.html

[IronNoggin]

How BC Fumbled the Third Wave

Four experts say leaders were warned of the variant threat but misread key data and failed to respond fast enough.

After successfully battling the first wave and coming closest to mirroring Atlantic Canada’s success story with COVID-19, B.C. has fallen from grace. Besieged by variants and now breaking record case counts, B.C. has joined the ranks of some of Canada’s worst performing provinces. Why?

https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/04/07/How-BC-Fumbled-Third-Wave/

[IronNoggin]

Details here:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated.html

[RalphH]

Our family experienced it's first covid related death this week. My wife's uncle passed away at 101 in Kansas. Born in Canada he made his life in Kansas as a pastor in a small community there. He was the family patriarch. I met him a few times and he was a very wise person. He was deceased by his 3 brothers including his elder brother Henry who flew Lancaster bombers over Germany & died in combat in WW2. It's quite a loss for my mother in law.

You may find his case interesting. He was diagnosed late last fall with covid but recovered by Christmas. Early this year he had both an initial vaccine and a booster shot. Last week he had a fall that put him in hospital with internal injuries. He developed a fever and was again diagnosed with covid. The disease progressed rapidly and he passed away yesterday morning. He was in residential care and had been for some years. No information he had one of the covid variants.

[IronNoggin]

Sorry for your loss Ralph. Condolences...

Canada’s COVID-19 case rate tops U.S. as country continues to lag in vaccinations

For the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Canada’s rate of new cases of the novel coronavirus has eclipsed that of the United States

On average over the last seven days, Canada has reported 7,967.7 new cases, and the country’s daily cases have increased 82 per cent over past 14 days.

Canada saw 9,255 new coronavirus infections on Friday, marking a new all-time record for daily cases.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7750304/covid-canada-new-cases-us/

[IronNoggin]

A next-gen Army COVID vaccine you've never heard of has just begun human trials

"Scientists believe it might combat deadly variants and even future pandemics.

The three vaccines already authorized for use in the U.S. work by feeding the body genetic instructions to create the spike protein that is found on the surface of the virus. Once the body creates the protein, the immune system is alerted and begins forming antibodies. It's a safe way of triggering a similar immune response as one a person would have after contracting the actual virus.

The WRAIR vaccine skips both the instruction and creation steps, bringing the already-formed spike protein straight into the arm along with an immune-boosting adjuvant compound, quickly starting the antibody response."

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gen-army-covid-vaccine-heard-begun-human-trials/story?id=76901332

[IronNoggin]

Another bump in the road... Again, the same type of blood clot issue I am currently dealing with:

Covid-19: US agencies call for pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccine

"US health authorities are calling for a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, after reports of extremely rare blood clotting cases.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said six cases in 6.8 million doses had been reported and it was acting "out of an abundance of caution".

It said the clotting was called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).

The statement said that this type of blood clot needed a different treatment than usual.

Johnson & Johnson said it was also delaying its vaccine rollout in Europe.

The US move follows similar rare cases in the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has prompted some curbs in its use."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56733715

[IronNoggin]

Trudeau's vaccine failure drawing global scrutiny

"Justin Trudeau and his Liberal acolytes normally love it when he gets foreign media attention. Why wouldn’t they, it’s mostly been fawning for the past several years.

The cover story for Vogue, the steamy photos they printed with him and his wife in embrace, the Rolling Stone cover asking why Trudeau couldn’t be America’s president. That’s what Trudeau is used to but it isn’t what he is getting this week.
It started with a piece last Friday in the Wall Street Journal titled “Canada’s Vaccine Rollout Lags Behind as Cases Rise.” That was followed Monday by a special report aired on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper which was critical of Trudeau’s handling of the pandemic.

In addition to those noted above, Trudeau’s failure of a rollout has also caught the eye of Bloomberg, Fox News, the New York Times, the Washington Post and the progressive stalwart The Atlantic with a piece titled “Canada’s Vaccine Mess.”

“Per capita vaccination numbers lagging behind those of 50 other countries, including Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and much of Europe, according to Johns Hopkins University’s immunization tracker,” the story states.

Nothing like attracting the world press for all the wrong reasons."

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-trudeaus-vaccine-failure-drawing-global-scrutiny