A retired teacher who has made it his mission to ensure seniors get access to a high-dose influenza vaccination is lauding efforts of Tri-City BC Liberal MLA Joan Isaacs to raise the issue in the legislature.
Ken Kuhn, who has reached out to both Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix about the issue, as well as a group of medical health officers, wants the government to pay for the vaccine for people over the age of 65.
He said it has been proven to be more effective than the standard dose, and is paid for in other provinces while B.C. has fallen behind on the issue.
He was bolstered by the private members bill Isaacs, the MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, tabled in the legislature to review the usage of high-dose influenza vaccine in long-term care homes, provide a report about it and consider the cost of paying for it in both public and privately run care facilities.
“I will be supporting her as much as possible,” Kuhn said.
Isaacs said as seniors critic, she was motivated to table the bill after hearing from seniors groups, such as the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, B.C. care providers and agencies that run long-term care homes about their concerns about a flu outbreak.
A high-dose flu vaccine could prevent an outbreak because research has shown that it can be effective, she said. And while those over the age of 65 living independently could benefit, too, if they got the shot for free, her bill focuses on people living in residential care homes because they are the most vulnerable.
“Once there’s an outbreak in a long-term care home, it really affects the population,” Isaacs said.
Access to the high-dose vaccine would reduce the risk of flu being spread, cutting down on emergency visits, hospital stays and death, Isaacs said.
“Adults over 65 represent 15% of the Canadian population but they experience 70% of influenza-related hospitalization and 90% of influenza-related deaths,” Isaacs said.
Improving those statistics would be one result of the bill to provide free shots to people living in residential care homes as well as improving their quality of life because flu outbreaks can severely curtail the activities of residents.
As to why the previous BC Liberal government didn’t offer to provide the shot for free for care home residents, Isaacs, a Coquitlam-Burke Mountain MLA, said she doesn't know
“I don’t know if anyone had ever raised it before," she said. "As seniors critic, it has come to my attention.”
