New Westminster's COVID-19 vaccination rate has finally hit the 90% mark.
As of Nov. 9, 90% of eligible residents (aged 12+) had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine – reaching the milestone after weeks of creeping upwards by one-percentage-point increments.
The rate of full vaccination among 12-to-17-year-olds (the youngest eligible age group and the last to qualify for vaccination) is now at 85%, up from 84% last week. The 18-to-49 age group also crept up, from 89% to 90%. The rate of full vaccination among residents aged 50+ remains at 89%, the same as last week.
First-dose vaccination rates have continued to rise among younger age groups as well. Among 12-to-17-year-olds, the first-dose vax rate now stands at 91%, up from 90% last week. The 18-to-49 group moved up from 94% to 95% percent, while the 50+ group stayed at 91%.
Those numbers are according to the latest B.C. Centre for Disease Control data.
The milestone achievement comes as B.C. moves into the third-dose phase of its vaccine rollout. High-risk people (based on age and/or clinical vulnerabilities) are already eligible for third doses, and those vaccinations are underway.
From now until January 2022, B.C. will prioritize third shots for those considered most at risk: people aged 70 and up; Indigenous adults; residents of rural and remote Indigenous communities; people receiving care; and health-care workers.
Starting in January, every B.C. adult aged 18 and up will be eligible for a booster dose, if desired. They will be invited to book those doses between six and eight months after their second dose. Those who received two doses of AstraZeneca will be eligible earliest and will be invited to book their booster doses approximately six months after their second dose.
Booster doses must be booked and cannot be done at drop-in clinics.
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