Lots of COVID booster appointments available, says pharmacy manager, with 3 weeks left in spring campaign
It's been slow going for some Victoria-area pharmacies offering COVID boosters these past few months, as the Ministry of Health is reporting a steady increase in the latest variant of the virus.
Linda Gutenberg, who is in charge of pharmacy operations for Heart Pharmacy Group, which operates seven locations in the Greater Victoria Area, said the current vaccine campaign has been particularly slow since it started on April 8.
"We were kind of like all ramped up and ready to go and nobody really showed up," she said during an interview on CBC's On The Island.
She said last week, pharmacists administered about half the booster shots they did compared to one year ago.
However, as of June 1, the province said 287,294 people in B.C. have been vaccinated for COVID-19, up slightly from 282,911 at a similar time last year.
Gutenberg isn't entirely sure why there's a dip in interest, but she has a hunch.
"I think there's a little bit of vaccine fatigue, where people are just kind of tired of just coming in and getting vaccines all the time."
With only a few weeks left in the campaign, which ends June 30, she said there are lots of appointments available.
The latest variant of COVID-19, called NB.1.8.1, may be more transmissible than previous mutations, according to the World Health Organization. The organization's latest risk assessment, which covered July to December of last year, found the health risk from COVID-19 is still high, but suggests the impact is decreasing.
The Ministry of Health said COVID-19 has been increasing globally since February. PCR and wastewater testing have shown low levels of the virus in B.C., but it has been rising since March.
It said the best way to prevent severe illness from the virus is to stay up to date on vaccines.
The ministry recommends anyone over 65, Indigenous adults aged 55 and older, long-term care home and assisted living residents and anyone over six months who has been diagnosed as extremely vulnerable, get a COVID-19 booster this spring.
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