COVID-19 Vaccination

Why get vaccinated against COVID-19?

1) To protect yourself

Over the past year, millions of people around the world have been vaccinated against COVID-19, including over 27 million Canadians. This means we now have a large body of evidence showing that the vaccines are safe and effective, in particular at preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. 

It’s true that like all vaccines, the COVID-19 vaccines are not 100% effective and so there is still a chance you could get infected. However, the vaccines greatly reduce your risk of catching the virus. And, if you do still catch COVID-19, your risk of serious harm – including hospitalization and death – is significantly lower. Data from the BCCDC shows that unvaccinated people are up to 34 times more likely to be hospitalized by COVID-19 (after adjusting for age differences).

Indeed, during the summer of 2021, the vast majority of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in British Columbia were not fully vaccinated – even though unvaccinated people make up a much smaller proportion of the population. 

There have been a some rare instances of serious side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines, such as blood clots or myocarditis. However, the risks associated with catching COVID-19 are far greater and more life-threatening than any side-effect of the vaccines. For almost everyone, getting vaccinated is the lowest-risk option. Watch UBC’s Dr. Sadarangani discuss this in our ‘Ask Me Anything’ Q&A.

2) To protect others

Getting vaccinated also protects those around you. The lower your risk of infection, the lower the chance that you pass the virus on to others. More people being vaccinated means it is harder for COVID-19 to move between people, and this reduces transmission in the community. We can see this in the data, as regions of the province with lower vaccination rates often have the highest case rates. Vaccination is not just about protecting the individual; it is a community effort to beat COVID-19 and end the pandemic. 

3) To ensure a safe and healthy workplace

Finally, in British Columbia, people must now be fully vaccinated in order to access non-essential services and to work in certain industries, including long-term care and other healthcare settings. As of October 12, nobody can work in long-term care or assisted living who has not received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. We expect this will also soon apply to other healthcare workers in the province, including some home and community care workers.

How do I get vaccinated?

Getting vaccinated in BC is easy. You can register online using the province’s Get Vaccinated website, or visit the BCCDC webpage for a list of drop-in clinics across all health authorities.

If you have concerns about these options, you may also wish to speak to your employer. They may be able to reach out to the relevant health authority to work out the best and easiest way for you to get vaccinated. 

The Get Vaccinated website will also notify you when you become eligible for your third dose as part of BC’s booster program. For most health care workers, this is likely to be in early 2022.

How do the vaccines work? 

Four vaccines for COVID-19 have been approved by Health Canada and are being distributed across the country. These are: 

• Moderna 
• Pfizer / BioNTech 
• Oxford University / AstraZeneca 
• Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) 

The vaccines all work a little differently. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines. They work by delivering the instructions from the virus that causes COVID-19 to our own cells. This makes the body produce a small part of the virus’ outer shape – the spike protein of the virus – which then stimulates our body’s immune response and teaches it to recognize the virus should the actual virus enter your system.

The AstraZeneca and Janssen vaccines are viral vector vaccines. They use a harmless virus (such as an adenovirus, the virus which can cause the common cold) as a “delivery system” for the COVID-19 spike protein, which will stimulate your body’s immune response. This vector virus is not the same virus that causes COVID-19.  

Importantly, none of the four vaccines involve injecting people directly with the COVID-19 virus.  

Still have questions about getting vaccinated? Ask us!

COVID-19 vaccinations are coordinated provincially through the COVID-19 Immunization Plan. You will be notified when you’re eligible. In the meantime, ensure that you are registered on the ‘Get Vaccinated’ website.

In partnership with The Public Health Agency of Canada