Booster dose rates are climbing for New Westminster residents – but are they moving fast enough?
As of Dec. 14, 61% of New West residents aged 70+ had received their booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine, up from 56% last week. The number for 50+ adults is now up to 24%, a slight increase from 21% last week. (Those numbers are from this week's B.C. Centre for Disease Control data.)
The Ministry of Health told Glacier Media this week that its booster dose rollout is ahead of schedule.
There has been a renewed push for booster doses this week, in light of modelling showing a worst-case scenario in which the new Omicron variant could push B.C. case counts up to 2,000 a day by the end of December and overwhelm hospitals by early in the new year.
Health Minister Adrian Dix, in a media briefing Wednesday (Dec. 15) told reporters that B.C.'s booster dose rollout is already doing 35% better than it expected when it rolled out the plans in late October. He said the booster rollout has been "really effective, really strong," noting 60% of B.C. residents aged 70+ have already received their third doses.
As for other New Westminster vaccination numbers, first- and second-dose rates among all age groups aged 12 and up have now plateaued, with no numbers shifting since last week.
The only other change is to the rate of first doses for pediatric vaccine (ages 5 to 11), which jumped from 11% to 28%. That number, of course, was expected to increase, since the rollout of first doses for that age group just began Nov. 29 and registered families are now being invited to book appointments.
– with files from Jess Balzer, Cindy E. Harnett
Vaccination rates in New Westminster as of Dec. 14, 2021
(last week's numbers in brackets)
First doses:
5-11: 28% (11%)
12+: 94% (94%)
12-17: 93% (92%)
18+: 94% (94%)
18-49: 96% (96%)
50+: 92% (92%)
70+: 93% (93%)
Second doses:
5-11: 0% (*second doses are not being given for this age group at this point)
12+: 92% (92%)
12-17: 88% (88%)
18+: 92% (92%)
18-49: 93% (93%)
50+: 90% (90%)
70+: 91% (91%)
Third doses:
5-11: 0% (*boosters are not being given for this age group at this point)
12+: 12% (10%)
12-17: 0% (*boosters are not being given for this age group at this point)
18+: 12% (11%)
18-49: 3% (3%)
50+: 24% (21%)
70+: 61% (56%)
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