Vaccine bookings triple days after B.C. vaccine card announced

The province says there has been a ‘significant increase’ in vaccine registrations and bookings following the announcement of the B.C. Vaccine Card program on Aug. 23.

In the past two days, 12,904 people under the age of 40 have registered to receive their COVID-19 vaccine and 11,301 people under 40 have booked appointments. This compares to 4,161 registrations and 5,077 appointment bookings for people under 40 during the same period last week.

Monday (Aug. 23) saw 8,909 new registrations and 7,347 new appointment bookings, representing a 174.8 per cent increase in daily registrations and an 88.6 per cent daily increase compared to the previous Monday which recorded 3,242 new registrations and 3,896 bookings..

Tuesday (Aug. 24) saw 10,175 total new registrations and 9,486 new appointment bookings, representing a 201.3 per cent increase in registrations and a 124.4 per cent increase in bookings compared to the previous Tuesday which recorded 3,279 new registrations and 4,228 appointment bookings..

“Getting vaccinated is the most important step we can all take to move out of this pandemic, and the momentum this week is positive news,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “I am pleased that people are heeding our call to roll up their sleeve to help stop the spread of COVID-19. But there’s more work to do, and I encourage everyone to make the best choice to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community — get vaccinated.”

Under the B.C. Vaccine Card program, British Columbians must receive at least one dose of vaccine by Sep. 13 and must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 24 to participate in certain recreational and social events.

Anyone looking to get vaccinated can walk in to vaccine clinics to book an appointment or visit any one of a number of pop-up clinics across the province.

As of Aug. 25, 83.5 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received at least one dose of vaccine and 75.4 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

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