Bivalent COVID-19 vaccine doses arrive in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS — Recently, Health Canada approved a bivalent vaccine that offers protection against COVID-19 variants — including the Omicron variant — which the province says will be a major part of the fall campaign.

The vaccine has arrived and pharmacies are beginning to provide the newest booster to Kamloops residents.

“It offers protections and especially in the fall when kids are going back to school and people are going back to work, you are around more people, you are exposed more to the virus. It also is important because the vaccines you had prior to this wain over time,” said Pharmacist Julie Ford.

Those eligible to receive the new booster include those over the age of 65 who did not yet a spring booster.

“It’s offered to patients 70 and over who are due for their next booster, so it’s been six months since their last booster. It’s offered to all Indigenous people who are 18 and over. And all people 18 and over who are moderately to severely immunocompromised,” added Ford.

Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian was one of the first in line at a Pharmasave in Aberdeen Friday morning (Sept. 9) to roll up his sleeve.

“We are all done with COVID but COVID is not done with us. And when you look at the statistics about those people who are hospitalized, taking up space in acute care, most of them are either un-vaccinated or under-vaccinated. What I think the population really needs to be aware of is take your opportunity to get the new bivalent vaccine,” said Christian.

Christian hopes the Kamloops population will consider taking the booster when it becomes available to them

“It will either be by their health status, maybe they are immunocompromised, or by their age. And they will be asked to come and now it’s available not only through public health but through the pharmacy system just like this one throughout the city,” added Christian.

The vaccine will be available in tandem with the annual flu shoot, however Ford confirmed the flu shot is still a month away.

“You will be able to get both at the same time once the flu vaccine rolls out, which will probably be in early October, we never know exactly when it is going to roll out. You will be able to get the COVID booster and the flu shot at the same time and you will book both of them through GetVaccinatedBC,” said Ford.