COVID-19 booster shots should be encouraged

If a third vaccine is offered to me, I’m going to take it.

On Oct. 26,  health officials announced the start of a plan that will allow British Columbians to get their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This booster shot will be available to anyone who wants it six to eight months after their second dose.

This plan starts with those who are over the age of 70 and anyone who is at a higher risk. The booster shot began to be distributed in long-term care homes alongside the flu shot earlier this month.  

Those over 70 should be offered their third dose before the end of the year. Anyone younger than 70 and those that don’t have immune risks can expect to start getting notified in the new year. 

While this is all optional for anyone who has gotten the first two COVID-19 vaccines, it is highly recommended.  Not only is the idea of a third dose encouraged, but it might just be the smartest idea moving forward when fighting the variants and reducing the spread and risk of ending up with severe cases of COVID-19. 

An article by Vancouver Sun said the evidence shows that “vaccines are maintaining strong protection against severe cases of COVID-19 and are keeping vaccinated people out of hospital, even if the vaccine protection against infection wanes over time.”

To keep up immunity, we should take the third dose or any other booster shot offered in the future years to come. 

The extra protection against the many variants is needed, I would specifically take it to ease my mind when it comes to going out and socializing again. The big question is how the government will choose to incorporate this into the pre-existing vaccine passport. 

As many know, the vaccine passport is currently being used to gain access to restaurants, events, and theatres. Since most of these passports are digital, the reapplication and addition of the third dose should be a similar process to how many got their passport with their first two doses. 

The more people who have the third shot, the more protection there is for everyone, which lessens the spread. The case numbers and death counts could be declining even faster.

The plan to move forward with the third dose is exciting. The future holds more possibilities for immunized people. That means maybe getting back to life before the pandemic and reducing the fear of this virus, and to me, that is an amazing thing.