Province enacts COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare visitors, considers mandate for teachers

VICTORIA — Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix made a series of announcements and statements related to the COVID-19 pandemic at a news conference Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 5).

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The province will expand its COVID-19 vaccine program to include third, or booster, doses to about 100,000 people who are moderately to severely immuno-compromised, including those receiving treatment for certain cancers and those on dialysis.

Henry: “There are a number in that group whose immune systems do not respond as well to vaccines. We now know that adding a third dose can actually stimulate a response for many people that gives them as much protection — or at least some protection closer to what people with a strong immune system have.”

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Henry says her office is working with counterparts across the country as well as Health Canada to develop a vaccine passport that will prepare vaccinated British Columbians to travel to other countries. This includes those who have received doses of the viral vector AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet recognized in some countries such as the United States.

Henry: “For those who have taken AstraZeneca, who have taken the vaccine that was offered to you at the first opportunity, you did the right thing. I thank you for doing that; it has made a tremendous difference in transmission of virus and you were protecting yourself, your family and your community.”

The United States has not yet instituted a vaccine mandate for those entering the country.

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Henry announced B.C. is returning hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses to Ottawa so they can be distributed to countries in need.

Henry: “B.C. will be returning 300,000 doses of mostly Moderna vaccine to the federal government. These vaccines are not required at this time in B.C. We still have a large number of vaccines that are available to meet our needs over the next few months.”

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All visitors to long-term care setting in B.C. will be required to provide proof of vaccination as of Tuesday, October 12. For visitors to acute care settings such as hospitals, the vaccine requirement will take effect as of October 26.

Henry: “Those who are not fully vaccinated will not be able to visit in healthcare settings. As we go into this time of increased respiratory illness and challenges, as well as, as we know, COVID virus. We will, of course, have exceptions for certain situations like palliative or end-of-life care.”

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Discussions have begun around a vaccine mandate for teachers and others who work in the education system in B.C.

Dix: “Minister of Education Jennifer Whiteside is immediately convening an advisory committee — an ad hoc one with (B.C. Public School Employers’ Association) and other partners to develop common principals, standards and guidelines to support the potential implementation of vaccine mandates.”

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Henry asked those who gather for Thanksgiving this weekend to take precautions to ensure their gatherings do not contribute to the spread of the virus.

Henry: “Please keep your groups small this year. Remember what we are seeing in our communities right now. In particular if you have older family members or anyone who is immuno-compromised who is planning to attend, make sure everybody who is there is fully vaccinated.”