Dr. Bonnie Henry says the wait between the first and second dose of COVID-19 vaccine is now shortened to eight weeks. (flickr/Gov't of B.C.)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

covid-19 update

Wait between first and second COVID-19 vaccine dose shortened significantly

May 27, 2021 | 2:22 PM

NANAIMO — People in the province hoping to be fully vaccinated won’t have to wait nearly as long.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Thursday, May 27 announced the time between a first and second dose of COVID-19 was shortened to eight weeks, down from 16.

“We are making great strides and want to keep this momentum going,” Dr. Henry said. “We now have sufficient confirmed deliveries of vaccine…to move up the interval. We know these vaccines work. They’re safe, highly effective and are saving lives across British Columbia right now.”

Starting Thursday, the roughly 400,000 people aged 70 and over, as well as clinically vulnerable populations, will receive their invite to book their second dose.

Communities such as Gabriola Island and Pender Island, which had community-wide immunization clinics for the first dose, will have similar clinics for the second jab.

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Dr. Henry said this applies to people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine recipients must wait for a few more weeks as more studies are done about shortening the amount of time between a first and second dose, Dr. Henry said.

As of Thursday, roughly 62 percent of eligible British Columbians received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

“It is important to remember the second dose is both protection for you and added protection for us as a community,” Dr. Henry said. “The second booster dose is important for your own individual protection. It ensures you have the maximum protection for the maximum amount of time.”

There were a further 378 new cases of the virus detected throughout the province on Thursday, an increase from the day before.

The number of active cases dropped slightly to 3,542.

Island Health data showed 13 new cases were found in the health authority, while the number of active cases dropped from 96 to 92.

Many of the new cases were in southern Vancouver Island, with only three discovered in the central Island region. There are currently 37 active cases in central Island.

There is a data discrepancy between Island Health and the province, based on the timing of COVID-19 results. NanaimoNewsNOW reports local verified data from Island Health.

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