Cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 have been increasing since mid-September in BC and as of January 2021 remain elevated. Two mRNA vaccines have been authorized for use in Canada but vaccine supply will be limited through the first quarter of 2021, requiring strategic management to address scarcity during a period of heightened need. To extend protective vaccine coverage to as many priority group members as possible, population risk assessment and response require consideration of second dose deferral. This talk will review the evidence and benefit-risk analysis underpinning decisions to defer the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Danuta Skowronski leads the Influenza and Emerging Respiratory Pathogens Team at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) where she informs surveillance, research and program/policy recommendations for influenza, and more recently COVID-19, prevention and control. She is credited with co-development of the test-negative design, a methodology now used globally to monitor seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness. With more than 170 scientific publications, Dr. Skowronski’s pioneering epidemiological work related to influenza vaccine will also help shape COVID-19 vaccine monitoring strategies.