Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

INTERIOR VACCINE ROLL-OUT

Interior Health preparing for vaccination ramp-up for essential and at-risk workers

Mar 18, 2021 | 4:38 PM

KAMLOOPS — As more age groups become eligible to get vaccinated, health authorities will be using a portion of vaccine supplies for industrial worksites, food processing facilities and workers in at-risk settings.

“Across IH we will be deploying around 7,000 doses of AstraZeneca before it expires in the next two weeks,” says IH Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Albert de Villiers. “The first allotment of doses we did get is going to expire soon so we are working hard to make sure we can get it out before the expiry date.”

Dr. de Villiers says Interior Health has already been deploying the vaccine to sites that have dealt with troubling rates of transmission, including McKinney Place in Oliver, Canim Lake and within the Okangan Indian Band.

“We have seen as soon as you get vaccine in — we know it takes a while to work — but it makes a difference,” he says. “It makes a difference between an outbreak or a cluster going on for months versus weeks. After the immunity kicks in within 10 to 14 days, we see the cases dropping off and the cluster disappearing basically. It’s been working really effectively.”

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The addition of AstraZeneca means other essential workers can be vaccinated sooner. Police, firefighters, teachers, postal and grocery workers are among the groups who will now be eligible in April.

Dr. Carol Fenton, Interior Health Medical Health Officer says it’s important to recognize that all vaccines in use within B.C have gone through extensive tests, clinical trials and been given approval from Health Canada.

“Each of the new vaccines — given that they’re different types of vaccines — have different strengths and weaknesses, but all of them have gone through the Health Canada safety review and approval process and the best COVID vaccine for you is the first one that you can get.”

Health officials are working to speed up the vaccine rollout, while ensuring progress is not hindered by virus spread. Recent data shows Kamloops isn’t seeing increases in the rate of new cases, but Dr. Fenton says COVID-19 is still very much active.

“Kamloops as a region within the Thompson Cariboo is still seeing higher rates of transmission compared to other areas in the Interior.”

With the potential for gatherings or travel outside of public health guidelines taking place during spring break, Easter or Passover, health officials say it is crucial to keep social bubbles small and maintain safe habits.

“The other risk is that we are seeing more frequency of the new variants. It’s still at low levels in the Interior but we do know from other regions that they can be more contagious,” explains Dr. Fenton. “So we need to stick to our prevention measures. Because they work, but we need to stick to them.”