B.C.’s top doctor says the jury is still out on whether people who’ve recovered from COVID-19 will need just one dose of a vaccine moving forward.

“It is something we have been following closely, but it does look really great that many people who have been infected before have a really strong response to a single dose and may not need a booster,” Dr. Bonnie Henry said.

“Our National Advisory Committee on Immunization is looking at that question this week. They have the opportunity to look at data from many different parts of the world and this is a question many people have been asking. “I’ll let you know when we know.

Henry’s comments come as Quebec announced this week it will only be recommending a single dose of the vaccine to people who have previously been infected with COVID-19. It appears to make Quebec just the second jurisdiction in the world to go with this policy, after France.

“What we know is [that] immunity associated to the illness doesn’t last a long, long time, and that’s why we recommend a second dose, including for those previously infected,” Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s Public Health Director said, according to a CTV Montreal story. “But if you’ve already got the illness, and we have lab confirmation of that, we believe that after three months you can get the first dose, which will have the same effect as a second dose.”

“We do not recommend a second dose – the illness, a dose and [another] dose – because it doesn’t bring extra protection, and it brings about more adverse reactions.”

Details on Quebec’s plans aren’t completely clear just yet, particularly around how long the single-dose window would last for people who have been sick with COVID-19, and how people who’ve been infected would be identified. What is known is that like B.C., Quebec will be giving people a second dose of the vaccine four months after they’ve had their first.

Data from the B.C. Government shows 86,857 people are considered to have recovered from COVID-19, about 92 per cent of the total 93,969 cases.

There have also been 582,634 COVID-19 vaccines administered across the province, 87,180 of which have been second doses. People who are 76 and older, and Indigenous people over 55, can currently book vaccine appointments.

Meanwhile, people who are ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ will be able to book appointments on Monday.

Earlier today, Interior Health also revealed details on rural and remote communities that will have dedicated COVID-19 vaccine clinics for adults. In Kamloops meanwhile, Mayor Ken Christian says all adults should be able to get a first vaccine dose by June.