By Canadian Press

Respiratory season ends, B.C. launching spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign

Mar 28, 2025 | 12:55 PM

British Columbia’s top doctor says respiratory illness season has come to an end, but the province will soon launch a spring COVID-19 immunization campaign and encourage everyone to ensure they’re fully protected against measles.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit the lowest level since 2020, while respiratory cases have been declining.

Still, Henry says there have been resurgences in spring and summer in the past, and the province is focused on protecting people at the highest risk of serious illness.

Health Minister Josie Osborne says the province is preparing to launch its latest COVID-19 immunization campaign on April 8, while ending the requirement for medical masks in health-care settings where patients are being cared for.

Henry and Osborne are also asking everyone born after 1970 to check their immunization records to ensure they’re fully protected against measles.

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Henry says there is a “very concerning” resurgence of measles underway globally, and while B.C. has seen just five travel-related cases so far, it would be “very much a challenge” if the virus began circulating in areas with low levels of protection.

There has been misinformation and “concerning messages” about vaccination against measles, particularly coming from south of the border, Henry told the news conference, saying she wanted to make clear there is an “abundance of evidence” about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in eliminating measles since 1970.

“This is a vaccine that is tried and tested and true,” she said.

“It’s hard to imagine going back to how severe it was when these infections used to spread through our communities every year.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press