Please see below for a message from MCFD Stakeholder Engagement Team,
Dear Child Care Operators and Partners,
We are writing to let you know about updates to the B.C. vaccine rollout plan and to follow up with answers to the questions you submitted to the Health and Safety townhall last month.
Today, March 18, 2021, the Provincial Health Officer has announced an acceleration of the vaccine rollout, which prioritizes child care workers, along with other front-line staff.
Due to large shipments of the AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India (AZ/SII) vaccine arriving in B.C. over the coming months, the vaccine schedule is accelerating to protect workers in high-risk industries and front-line workplaces. This is in line with government’s immunization strategy of protecting the most vulnerable British Columbians first, and using vaccines to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.
More than 300,000 front-line staff, including first responders, grocery store staff, teachers, educational and child care staff, and other front-line workers and industries, will be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccinations over the coming weeks, as B.C.’s plan moves forward ahead of schedule.
The first shipment of AZ/SII is being deployed to protect people in workplaces that are identified as having the highest risk of COVID-19 transmission, such as food processing plants, and agricultural operations and large industrial camps with congregate accommodations; however, in total, B.C. expects to receive approximately 340,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by late May.
The news release with additional details can be found here.
We know that you will have additional questions beyond the information provided today – more information about how it will be rolled out will be shared in the coming days and weeks.
Please do not call your local health authority to book an appointment. All AZ/SII vaccine appointments will be organized by employers. Appointment information will be communicated clearly and directly to each sector and employer over the coming weeks.
More information regarding the broader Covid-19 Immunization plan is available online.
Additionally, thank you to everyone who sent in questions and attended the Health and Safety Townhall discussing the updated health and safety guidelines for child care settings with Dr. Patricia Daly, Vice-President, Public Health and Chief Medical Health Officer from Vancouver Coastal Health, Dr. Geoff McKee, Medical Director, Population and Public Health at BC Centre for Disease Control, and Jacqueline Holmes, Manager of Prevention Field Services at WorkSafeBC on February 16. As promised, we have compiled answers to questions that we were unable to get to during the webinar. We have posted these answers, along with the audio recording of the event, to the Childcare BC website.
We are incredibly grateful to all child care staff working on the front lines of this pandemic who have kept our communities and economies moving forward. We commit to continuing to keep you informed as information comes available.
Sincerely,
Stakeholder Engagement Team
Childcare BC