People at higher risk from COVID-19 because of existing medical conditions such as cancer, organ transplant recipients and people with severe lung conditions will be able to register to get vaccinated starting on Monday at noon.
There are an estimated 200,000 people aged 16 and up in B.C who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable because of their health.
"B.C. has made tremendous progress on our age-based vaccine program," Health Minister Adrian Dix said in a press release Tuesday. "Now, we are able to expand to those people who are at increased risk from COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions or various medical treatments. Clinical experts have now determined those who have a high risk of severe illness from the virus and now have the vaccine supply to protect these most vulnerable people."
A panel of medical experts from a wide variety of disciplines used public health and international COVID-19 medical data to compile a list of those considered most at risk for serious illness or death from COVID-19.
Those people identified will receive a letter in the mail in the next few days with information on how to book an appointment, information released by the Ministry of Health said. Those who book appointments will be required to bring them with them to their vaccination appointment.
Those vulnerable people may also be contacted by Northern Health or the clinic they are being treated by.
People who believe they are in the clinically extremely vulnerable group who have not received a letter by April 15 can call the provincial call centre or visit the provincial online booking system – both of which are expected to launch on April 6 – to check if they are on the list. If they are not, they can reach out to their doctor or nurse practitioner to talk about their eligibility.
Some of those eligible include organ donation recipients; people with specific types of cancer; people who have received radiation therapy or certainly other treatments for cancer within the last six months; people with severe respiratory conditions like cystic fibrosis, COPD or severe asthma; people with certain rare blood diseases; insulin-dependent diabetics; people on dialysis or with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease; people with developmental disabilities that increase risk; pregnant women who have serious heart conditions; people with neuromuscular, neurologic or muscle conditions who need respiratory support; and people who are immunosuppressed because of drug therapies they are required to take.
"Through this additional immunization, we are able to relieve a significant burden from those who are extremely clinically vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a press release. "This is another encouraging step forward for all of us as we continue to ramp up our immunization efforts."
The full list of conditions designated as clinically extremely vulnerable can be found online at http://gov.bc.ca/cevCOVID.
COVID DEATH REPORTED IN NORTH
A Northern Health resident was the only person in British Columbia to die of COVID-related causes on Tuesday, according to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The death brings the region's death toll from the pandemic to 120 people.
Twenty-three new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Northern Health region on Tuesday, but the number of active cases dropped to 315 from 363 reported on Monday.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the region grew by two, to 41 – including 12 people in critical care.
Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 5,599 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Northern Health region.
A total of 1,675 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the region since Monday's update, for a total of 27,510 doses in the region.
Of those, 24,795 were first doses and 2,715 were second doses, the B.C. CDC reported.
Prince George residents aged 77 years old and older (born in or before 1944) can call 1-844-255-7555 to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointment. The phone line is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
Eligibility will be expanded to those 76 years old and older on Thursday at noon, and to those aged 75+ on Saturday at noon.
Indigenous people aged 55 and up (born in or before 1966) can also call to book their appointment.
SCHOOL EXPOSURES REPORTED
Northern Health has reported several new COVID-19 exposures at area schools.
DP Todd Secondary School had an exposure on March 12, and Heather Park Elementary School on March 11-12.
College Heights Secondary School had one exposure on March 15, and an earlier exposure on March 8-9.
Valemount Elementary School had an exposure on March 8-9, and Valemount Secondary School had one on March 12.
