British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 top doctor says sheB次元官网网址檚 set an end-of-summer target for everyone in the province to receive their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Bonnie Henry also announced Thursday a decrease in the time between the first and second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, cutting the interval to eight weeks from 16 weeks.

The province has enough supply of those vaccines to cut the wait time between the first and second shots, she said.

But the interval for people who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as a first dose and are waiting for their second AstraZeneca shot may take longer.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 asking you to hold tight for a few more days,B次元官网网址� she added.

Henry said the province is waiting for results from international data on AstraZeneca, including the effectiveness of mixing vaccine shots and ongoing concerns about rare blood clots.

But Henry did set a goal for everyone to get a second vaccine dose.

B次元官网网址淚 anticipate everyone will have their second dose by the end of summer,B次元官网网址� she told a news conference.

Quebec said Thursday it will shorten its wait time between the first and second AstraZeneca shots to eight weeks. Health Minister Christian Dub茅 said the decision to reduce the wait times is based on advice from the provinceB次元官网网址檚 immunization committee.

Henry said a second vaccine dose adds protection for the community.

B次元官网网址淧rotection through immunization is what we need to focus on right now. It ensures you have maximum protection for a maximum amount of time.B次元官网网址�

B.C. was the first province to extend the length of time between doses to a maximum of 16 weeks in order to spread the protection throughout the population while there was a shortage of vaccines.

Henry said the rollout of second doses will be similar to the first dose, with those at the greatest risk at the top of the list.

She said seniors, Indigenous people and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable will be getting their invitations to book a second shot.

B次元官网网址淧eople can expect to receive that invitation between now and the weekend,B次元官网网址� Henry said. B次元官网网址淭hey are essentially first in line.B次元官网网址�

Henry said the province will try to ensure that everyone gets the same vaccine they were first administered, but a shortage of the Moderna vaccine may mean that people will have to substitute it for a Pfizer shot.

She said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization has reviewed the evidence on using different vaccines and has updated the guidance, confirming that while it is preferable to have the same product, itB次元官网网址檚 not always possible.

B次元官网网址淚f that is the case, we now have good evidence that itB次元官网网址檚 safe to have an alternative of the same type of vaccine.B次元官网网址�

Pfizer and Moderna are the same type of vaccines, she said.

B次元官网网址淭his is the approach that we will be taking. As much as possible weB次元官网网址檒l try to make sure that everybody gets the second dose with the same product they had for their first dose,B次元官网网址� she said.

Henry said B.C. has now provided first doses of vaccines to more than three million of the 4.3 million people eligible to be immunized in the province. She said the vaccine number amounts to 65.8 per cent of people eligible for a vaccine who are 18 years old or older.

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