Decision to delay second doses of COVID-19 vaccine by four months based on scientific evidence and real-world data: Dr. Bonnie Henry

BC's top doctor says the decision to delay second doses of COVID-19 vaccine by four months is based on scientific evidence and real-world data.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the data show protection from a single dose is upwards of 90 per cent and lasts for several months.

She says delaying second doses will reduce mortality and severe illness for those most at risk while maximizing the benefit of vaccines for everyone.

Dr. Henry adds that the approval of Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine, which can be kept in the fridge, means it's possible everyone in BC could receive their first dose sooner than planned as the province ramps up its immunization campaign.

She says BC will focus its rollout of Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine among younger people with more social interactions who would have to wait longer to receive their first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.

BC had administered 283,182 doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of yesterday, including more than 86,000 second doses.

Dr. Henry announced 438 new cases of COVID-19 today, as well as two more deaths, pushing the death toll in the province to 1,365.

She says new faster-spreading variants of COVID-19 remain a concern, so it's important to follow ongoing restrictions on social interactions.