Vaccinations to be mandatory for health-care workers, third dose recommended for immunocompromised

The British Columbia government is rolling out new measures surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations, including mandating that all health-care professionals receive both doses of a vaccine.

During a press conference today, Sept. 13, provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said health-care workers will need to have both jabs by October 26, 2021.

“We’ll be implementing a new order that makes vaccination against COVID-19 a condition of employment across all health-care facilities across British Columbia,” said Henry.

“This includes all workers, students, physicians, residents, contractors and volunteers who work in a health-care facility, including contracted facilities, which are accessible to patients and where they receive services. So this also includes people who work in settings such as home and community settings, including client’s homes.”

Henry said she recognizes that some people may have conditions that don’t allow them to get the vaccine, and said her office, along with a committee of provincial experts, will come up with a list of exemptions and work with individuals who fall under those categories in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, British Columbians, who are at an extreme risk of COVID-19 complications, are being advised to get a third dose of a COVID vaccination.

Henry said there are approximately 300,000 British Columbians who are classified as Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) because they are immunocompromised.

“As a result of their medical conditions, people who are immunocompromised don’t respond as well to any vaccine and have a reduced ability to fight infection. This means that they may not have responded adequately to the first two doses and given them sufficient antibodies that they would be protected, and this puts them at much higher risk than most of us,” explained Henry.

She said while most of the immunocompromised British Columbians will be fine with two shots, there are about 15,000 individuals who are considered severely immunocompromised and are at a much higher risk of adverse effects from COVID-19.

“These are the people who will be receiving an invitation this week to receive a third dose, starting [Monday], to complete their primary series,” said Henry.

“The group of people we’re talking about are people who have had solid organ transplants; people who are being actively treated for hematologic cancers and lymphoma; people who have taken anti-CD20 medications or B-cell depleting agents. These are medications that cause suppression of an immune system, these are conditions that some people are born with that mean their immune system doesn’t respond as well, particularly the cell mediated immunity like your T-cells and your B-cells; and people who have had a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.”

These individuals will receive a text or email and advise them that they should get a third dose.

The recommendation for those third shots comes from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), who are working to review the possibility of providing a booster to the other CEV individuals in B.C. in the future as well. Henry said there are roughly 120,000 British Columbians considered moderately-immunocompromised in the CEV classification, and, depending on the outcomes of the current research, NACI may recommend in the coming months that they get a third shot as well.

Meanwhile, the provincial first dose vaccination rate rose to 85.8 per cent on Monday, and 78.4 per cent of British Columbians age 12 and older have received both doses, and Henry is again calling on those who have not gotten their shots to do so in order to get back to a semblance of normality and take the pressure off the health-care system.

Henry also took time during the press conference to thank the health-care workers who have been under much stress over the past 18 months, and asked the public to come together and show their respect and caring for those working on the frontline by being patient, compassionate, and following all the rules and regulations in a health-care setting to protect both the patients and the workers.