Challenges for blended family with some vaccinated, some not
Even in a household where one person has received a COVID -19 jab, everyone who hasn't been vaccinated should still take public health precautions, says a professor of molecular biology and biochemistry.
Fiona Brinkman from Simon Fraser University said even when someone is vaccinated, it can take three weeks until a person's immune system develops enough antibodies to achieve protection.
“As a general rule, we don't want to change our practices in terms of wearing masks and physical distancing through the vaccination campaign,” she said. “Once we get to enough people vaccinated, then we can open things up.”
Brinkman is the co-leader on data analytics for the Canadian COVID Genomics Network, which is sequencing COVID -19 genomes to track its viral origin, spread, and evolution.
She said the provincial COVID-19 immunization plan uses factors such as risk and age to determine vaccine eligibility for everyone through to September.
It's up to public health officials to decide if any changes to eligibility criteria are warranted, Brinkman said.
Brinkman was responding to the case of April Troje, 67, who is caring for her mother-in-law Inge Troje, 90. April is the primary caregiver for Inge in their home in Surrey.
She's worried that if she became sick and was hospitalized with COVID -19, there wouldn't be anyone to take care of Inge.
“When Mum gets the vaccine would I be eligible at the same time?” she asked. “I'm fine waiting in line for my turn. I'm not trying to be a line jumper by any stretch.”
April said she wears her mask when outside of the home, maintains physical distancing and has limited her personal bubble to a grandson, daughter, and next-door neighbour.
“She'll be protected because she's in the next phase,” April said about Inge.
“I'm 67 and a little ways down the line.”
Under the B.C. government's phased vaccine program, people aged 80 and over who are not residents of care homes will be vaccinated in Phase 2 this month and in March.
Then vaccination moves down in five-year increments starting at age 79 to 75. Those aged 67 are in Phase 3 and could receive the first dose in May or June and the second in June or July.
“Monthly breakdowns for the first dose and second dose are estimates and may change based on vaccine availability,” the B.C. COVID-19 immunization plan says.