COVID-19 vaccine news for BC food processors and manufacturers

Last updated: January 4, 2021

Booster Dose Timeline for Priority Employer/Worker Immunization Program Participants

Last spring’s priority essential worker vaccine clinic participants are automatically prioritized for booster doses as well. Plan now for your employees who participated in the April and May clinics to receive their booster invitations this week.

If any of your employees received their vaccinations early and have not yet registered with the Ministry of Health’s Get Vaccinated system, please encourage them to register now. For further vaccination, everyone needs to be registered in this system, including those who were not previously.

Some people who had passed the six-month interval after dose 2 and had not yet received their booster invitation have reported that they were able to book an appointment by calling the toll-free call centre at 1-833-838-2323. This is a 24/7 support line with translators available.

Vaccine Clinics

Do you have staff who still need a first or second dose? Visit Vax for BC for drop-in clinic locations in your area.

Discuss the importance of immunization with your staff. You can work together to build community immunity. By choosing to be immunized, your workers can protect themselves and each other—and by extension, those around them. The response to the immunization program so far has been overwhelmingly positive. We are looking forward, along with you, to life on the other side of the pandemic restrictions for all of us and a strong recovery for BC businesses.

Make It Safe 2021 Vaccine Policy Case Studies

Tune in Oct. 29 for the keynote panel with EllisDon VP HSE Stephen Chaplin and Medical Health Officer Dr. Michael Schwandt, and a second case study with Fraser Health Executive Director Workplace Health Dave Keen

Vaccination policy and claims

Register for Make It Safe and tune into two key vaccine policy sessions: Oct. 29 keynote panel with EllisDon VP HSE Stephen Chaplin and Medical Health Officer Dr. Michael Schwandt, and a second session the same day with Fraser Health Executive Director Workplace Health Dave Keen, Inside the Design of an Effective Vaccine Policy.
Watch our September 7 town hall on The Vaccine Policy Debate with KSW Lawyers’ Chris Drinovz, HR West Managing Director Kevin Woolliams, and Great Little Box Company VP HR Christine Tindall
Review the current WorkSafeBC policy.
Watch our April webinar with Fasken’s Norm Keith: Employment Law Q&A: Vaccines, People, and Policy.
Watch our February webinar with WorkSafeBC, BCCDC, and Overholt Law’s Preston Parsons: COVID-19 Vaccine: Prevention, Enforcement, and Labour Law
Watch our April 21 public health and vaccination town hall with VCH Medical Health Officer Dr. Michael Schwandt and our May 27 government and industry town hall on the road ahead for BC business in the recovery.

New B.C. Vaccine Card announced

The new B.C. Vaccine Card will be required for many discretionary events and activities beginning Sept. 13.

Learn more

September 7 Town Hall | The vaccine policy debate

Hear perspectives from HR leaders and a leading BC employment lawyer on the most difficult policy questions.

Priority workplace vaccine clinics

In March, more than 20,000 essential workers at Alliance member companies have received their first immunizations. We were pleased to partner with several health regions to support priority immunization for high-risk food processors and manufacturers with the supply designated for distribution in March.

When the first doses of the AstraZeneca/SII (COVISHIELD) vaccines arrived in March, the health authorities identified began their outreach with farms, food processors (prioritizing larger processors and particularly meat, seafood, and poultry), and some manufacturing and hospitality or retail worksites with outbreaks or clusters. The makeup of the priority lists was based on the number, type, and size of high-risk locations in each health region.

That initial priority worker campaign ended at the end of March.

A second campaign in April offered priority access to all manufacturers and food processors in the province. Thousands more employers were able to take advantage of that early access to the first dose.

Recent updates

Jan 25: Vaccine Card extended until June 30, 2022. By order of the Provincial Health Officer (PHO), proof of full vaccination is required to access some events, services and businesses in B.C. The requirement is in place until June 30, 2022.
Jan 1: Essential workers who participated in last spring’s priority clinics are automatically prioritized for booster doses
Dec 31: Province speeding up deployment of booster doses
Dec 21: Province postponing elective surgeries and taking other steps to speed up deployment of booster doses in January
Dec 17: Province reducing the interval between dose two and three to six months for most British Columbians
Dec 14: BC booster program expanded through partnerships with community pharmacies
Dec 4: No changes to BC booster schedule at this time; according to Minister Dix, currently ahead of schedule
Dec 3: NACI releases new guidance on boosters
Nov 1: Those who received two doses of AstraZeneca to receive priority access to a booster
Oct. 29: Informing employers/employees of COVID-19 booster dose timeline for 2022
Oct 15: Canadians with mixed-dose vaccines eligible to enter the U.S.
Sep 24: WorkSafeBC mandates vaccination for all client and employee-facing staff
Sep 1: Provincial Health Officer notes some British Columbians will be prioritized for coronavirus vaccine booster shots this fall
Aug 31: New provincial COVID-19 and vaccine modeling released
Aug 23: New B.C. Vaccine Card announced.
Jun 30: Second-dose vaccination schedule has been accelerated due to extra supply.
Jun 11: Additional updates on second-dose clinics from VCH for employees who received AZ in March; contact us if you need the updated June 11 memo
Jun 10: Fraser Health second-dose details announced (above) for employees who received AstraZeneca in March; updated VCH second-dose AstraZeneca clinic details released today for employees who received AZ in March; contact us if you need the updated memo
Jun 8: VCH memos now available with details for second-dose clinics; contact us if you need one
Jun 3: VCH schedules June 7, 2 p.m., sector Zoom meeting for employers whose teams participated in the March priority AstraZeneca vaccine clinics. If you were in this group, watch for an invitation from VCH
May 27: Time between doses reduced to 8 weeks for most people
May 21: Second dose information for businesses whose staff received the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine
May 17: All health regions: the provincial Get Vaccinated website is now sending first-dose booking invitations to people 18+. Encourage employees to register online.
May 10: Update from Interior Health (see below)
May 8: Update from VIHA (see below)
May 5: New eligibility announcement for VCH and FH employers; see top of page
April 30: Directions regarding registering for the second dose (see above)
April 27: Fraser Health opens up AstraZeneca drop-in clinics to people aged 30+ in COVID-19 hotspot neighbourhoods
April 22: News page and workplace resources for companies in Interior Health
April 22: Update from Fraser Health Medical Health Officer (below)
April 20: Medical Health Officer’s COVID-19 Update for Island Health (below)
April 19: AstraZeneca now available to anyone 40+ through participating pharmacies or through the high-transmission neighbourhood program
April 1: Updated COVID-19 Immunization FAQ for employers in the VCH region
March 31: Anyone aged 55–65 can make an appointment to get the AstraZeneca vaccine at one of more than 150 participating community pharmacies.
March 31: New FAQ from BCCDC on the AstraZeneca/SII (COVISHIELD) vaccine
March 30: Learn more about how B.C. will monitor vaccine uptake, safety and effectiveness (BCCDC)

Questions

Are the COVID-19 vaccines safe?

Immunization has saved more lives in Canada in the last 50 years than any other health measure. Canada has a very thorough system to approve new vaccines for human use. Only vaccines that have been shown to be safe are approved. Once approved for use, all vaccines are closely monitored by public health officials and Health Canada for their safety. The COVID-19 vaccines currently used in Canada have been administered to millions of people around the world and have been shown to be both safe and effective.

How do the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work?

The vaccine enables our body to produce protection (such as antibodies) against the COVID-19 virus. This immune response protects us from getting infected if the real virus enters our bodies. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use a new method (messenger RNA – mRNA, the genetic code for a capsule protein of the virus) to help our bodies make this protection.

Can I get COVID-19 from the vaccine?

You cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine. However, if you were exposed to the virus before you received your vaccine, you may be incubating the virus and not realize you have COVID-19 until after you are vaccinated. It takes two to three weeks to gain protection from the COVID-19 vaccine. This means if you contracted the virus before getting the vaccine, or within the two-week period following vaccination, you may still get sick from COVID-19. If you experience symptoms of COVID-19 after you’ve been vaccinated, use the B.C. self-assessment tool to determine if you need to be tested.

Are there side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Serious side effects due to the vaccines were not seen in the clinical trials. The people who received the vaccines in the clinical trials continue to be monitored for any longer-term side effects. A number of processes are in place in Canada to monitor the safety of the vaccines as more people get immunized. Common reactions to the vaccines may include soreness, redness, swelling and itchiness where the vaccine was given. For some people, these reactions may show up eight or more days after getting the vaccine. Other reactions may include tiredness, headache, fever, chills, muscle or joint soreness, swollen lymph nodes under the armpit, nausea and vomiting. These reactions are mild and generally last one to two days. If you have concerns about any symptoms you develop after receiving the vaccine, speak with your health-care provider or call 8-1-1 for advice. It is important to stay in the clinic for 15 minutes after getting any vaccine because about 1 in a million people can have a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. This may include hives, difficulty breathing, or swelling of the throat, tongue or lips. Should this reaction occur, the health-care providers on site are prepared to treat it. If symptoms develop after you leave the clinic, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. Always report serious or unexpected reactions to your health-care provider.

Who should not get the vaccine?

You should not get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine if you have a serious allergy (anaphylaxis) to:

Those who have a serious allergy to polyethylene glycol (PEG)
A previous dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or to any part of the vaccine

Tell your health-care provider if you have had anaphylaxis but no cause was found after seeing an allergy specialist, or if you had anaphylaxis before and did not get seen by an allergy specialist.

I already had COVID-19. Do I still need the shot?

If you had, or may have had, COVID-19 you should still get the vaccine. This is because you may not be immune to the virus that causes COVID-19 and could get infected and sick again.

What if I choose not to get vaccinated?

We encourage everyone who can do so to get the vaccine, as it will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and save lives by preventing disease, especially for people most likely to have severe illness or die. If enough people get vaccinated, it makes it difficult for the disease to spread. We hope that as more Canadians get vaccinated, we can return to activities that haven’t been possible during the pandemic. Getting the vaccine is not mandatory, and whether you choose to get the vaccine will not affect your access to health care services, nor employment or housing status. It may, however, limit your ability to attend events—and we are beginning to see more workplaces mandating vaccination for employees. Until the pandemic ends, restrictions are likely to continue as government and businesses prioritize health.

As an employer, am I able to get a list of my employees who attended a vaccination clinic?

Patient privacy is protected under the provincial Health Act, so we are not able to share a list of who attended each clinic.

Can I travel once I received the vaccine?

Federal and provincial health orders and guidelines remain in place for everyone, even if you have received the vaccine. Learn more about province-wide and federal restrictions.

If I am not a resident of B.C., can I still be vaccinated?

Yes, everyone living in B.C. will have the opportunity to be immunized, as long as the vaccine is recommended for them. That means that groups such as temporary foreign workers, international students, people who are not permanent residents of Canada, and people who recently moved to B.C. will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Be vigilant

Although the majority of British Columbians are now vaccinated, it is still important to remain vigilant as cases continue to rise.

Regularly review your Communicable Disease Plan (find a template here if you need one)
Be prepared if the province adds new restrictions (as with the mandatory masking mandate for public indoor spaces in August). If you need to return to COVID-19 Safety Plan protocols, review your plan with this checklist.
Check back for more COVID-19 and communicable disease prevention resources
Request help from one of our safety advisors

Rapid COVID-19 point of care test kits

Your worksite may be eligible to participate in the provincial program for COVID-19 rapid testing through point of care test kits.

Point-of-care (POC) test kits can be used to screen for COVID-19 in people without symptoms. POC tests are rapid and provide results at the point of testing usually within 15 to 20 minutes.

The province is supporting selected businesses to roll out rapid testing programs, including offering the actual testing materials for free, as well as supporting businesses with initial training. These tests may be performed with self-collection under the supervision of a trained individual, so participation would not have to entail hiring health professionals.

This may enable you to detect cases more rapidly and reduce the risk of infection for other staff. Particularly in workplaces where maintaining full physical distance is difficult, this may be able to reduce the likelihood of future outbreaks.

Moving forward, although are optimistic that vaccination will substantially slow ongoing transmission of COVID-19, we anticipate that we may see resurgences over the next year, particularly in high-contact environments.

You can find more about the program here.

Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health in particular would like to provide this additional tool for your business, knowing your crucial role in our communities. Access may be available to employers outside those health regions as well.

Interested? Email [email protected] for an intake assessment.