Health officials are urging every single British Columbian adult who has not received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to register online.
Confusion swirled initially about whether or not those who received their first shot before the registration portal opened April 6, or those who got AstraZeneca through the pharmacy or hotspot arm of the immunization rollout, needed to register still but provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry cleared it up on Tuesday (May 4).
“Everybody in B.C. now who’s 18 years of age and older is eligible and should be registering on our Get Vaccinated website or by calling 1-833-838-2323,” Henry said.
“I know some people have had some concerns about whether if they when they receive their vaccines through a workplace program or through a pharmacy program for the AstraZeneca vaccine do they need to register. And yes, it is helpful to register.”
Henry noted that people should register just once, but that if someone accidentally registers twice the system will recognize it.
“Once you are registered, your dose will be reserved for you as soon as the program becomes available, and you’ll be notified when to book, this is the most efficient way that we can do this,” she said.
Provincial data shows that 2.1 million people in B.C. have registered to get a COVID-19 vaccine, leading to question for health officials if they’re worried that enough people will get vaccinated.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said that so far, registration hasn’t been an issue and vaccine appointments have been filling up every week – if partially due to a limited supply of shots thus far.
“But in the coming weeks, we’re going to need more and more people to register,” Dix said, especially people in their 40s, 30s and 20s who will be eligible for immunization in the coming weeks.
“People who have waited to register need to register now.”
B.C. is expected to get well over one million doses of Pfizer in May, as well as more than 100,000 doses of Moderna. So far, 1,877,330 people, or 41.5 per cent of eligible adults, have been vaccinated in the province.
By Thursday, B.C. will begin booking vaccines for people as young as 50 (born in 1971). AstraZeneca vaccines are also being administered through hot spot clinics and participating pharmacies.
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