The plans to immunize B.C. against COVID-19 are set to start in April. The province’s goal is to administer a half-million shots every week by the summer so that we can achieve herd immunity by September.
Health Minister Adrian Dix stated, “the next phase of our efforts will see a significant and really massive scaling up of our vaccination efforts. It will be the largest vaccination effort in B.C. history, and requires a strong team.”
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The Goal to Immunize B.C. Has Technically Started
The initial supply of vaccines delivered by the federal government late last year has been exhausted. Most of this supply was given to long-term care home residents and workers as that is where most of the COVID-19 deaths have been.
B.C. health officials are waiting for a new stock of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines this week.
The Immunize B.C. team will be led by Vancouver Coastal Health chairwoman Dr. Penny Ballem. She will be coordinating the province-wide roll-out plan across all the sectors. Dr. Ballem has noted that it is a large task but that it can be done.
How Many Have Been Vaccinated And Next Steps
About 25,000 residents were vaccinated weekly through December and January. This number should triple by February (as we are geared up to get 68,400 doses a week).
By the end of March, we should receive 792,000 vaccinations in total.
By July, B.C. intends to deliver 461,438 doses, or nearly half-a-million immunizations, a week.
B.C. is set to receive another 2.6 million doses, this is the province’s share of the 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine ordered by the federal government this week.
The current population of B.C is 5.1 million and growing.
Jumping Queue?
The reports of Vancouver doctors jumping the vaccination queue to get a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine has been addressed. Adrian Dix confirmed there is a systems review and that everyone must follow the rules on the priority list to immunize B.C.
The first priority is to protect the most vulnerable.
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