B.C. announces priority groups for booster-shot program expected to last until May

British Columbia's top doctor says COVID-19 booster shots will be prioritized for front-line health-care workers, rural Indigenous Peoples and those over 70 because they're at highest risk of experiencing breakthrough infections.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says those groups and people who are most immunocompromised were vaccinated first and are getting to the point of waning immunity just ahead of flu season.

She says the third dose will be given to those residents until December as part of a program already underway and appointment bookings will be offered based on the time since their second dose, typically six to eight months.

Dr. Henry says the most clinically vulnerable people and health-care workers will be eligible for booster shots starting in January.

The provincial health officer says she's optimistic that a third dose may provide years of protection against the virus based on the long intervals between shots to optimize the benefits of vaccination.

A plan to start vaccinating children between five and 11 is also expected to begin pending Health Canada approval, though parents can already register their kids to get immunized.