B.C.’s vaccine rollout ahead of schedule; front-line workers get priority

Front-line workers, including first responders, grocery store employees, teachers and child care workers, will be among 300,000 B.C. residents eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations over the coming weeks as part of the province’s accelerated immunization plan.

Health officials are now saying everyone in B.C. who is eligible for a Covid vaccine will be able to get a first dose before July 1, 2021.

Beginning in April, people in priority groups identified by public health and the Covid-19 workplace task group will start to receive their first dose of the AstraZeneca/SII COVISHIELD (AZ/SII) vaccine.

These groups include:

* first responders (police, firefighters, emergency transport);

* K-12 educational staff;

* child care staff;

* grocery store workers;

* postal workers;

* bylaw and quarantine officers;

* manufacturing workers;

* wholesale/warehousing employees;

* staff living in congregate housing at places such as ski hills;

* correctional facilities staff; and

* cross-border transport staff.

These priority groups have been identified as workers in places and sectors where:

* the use of personal protective equipment and barriers can be challenging;

* outbreaks and clusters have occurred or are ongoing;

* workers must live or work in congregate settings; or

* maintaining the workforce for a critical service is necessary.

In total, B.C. expects to receive approximately 340,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine by the end of May 2021. The province will use a combination of community pharmacists, existing immunization clinics and mobile clinics at some worksites to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine to front-line workers.

Booking arrangements for front-line workers will be established in the coming weeks and will be communicated clearly and directly to each sector to arrange bookings. Workers identified as “front-line” and prioritized for the AstraZeneca vaccine should not call into regional health authority call centres at this time.

The age-based vaccine rollout using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is also accelerating and moving forward ahead of schedule. Currently, every senior born in 1941 or before (80 years old and over) and Indigenous peoples born in or before 1956 (65 years old and over) will be eligible to book a vaccination appointment by Friday, March 19, 2021.

The next age cohort is eligible to call as early as Saturday, March 20. The call centre approach through health authorities has now been extended to include those born between the years of 1942 to 1951 (79-70 year olds) and Indigenous peoples born in 1966 and before (55 and over).

The age cohort call-in schedule will begin as follows:

* age 79 and Indigenous peoples 55 and older – Saturday, March 20 at noon

* age 78 – Monday, March 22 at noon

* age 77 – Tuesday, March 23 at noon

* age 76 – Thursday, March 25 at noon

* age 75 – Saturday, March 27 at noon

The call-in schedule for the age 70 to 74 age cohort will be announced in the coming days.

The provincial registration and booking system, both online and by phone, will be implemented starting April 6, 2021, for people between the ages of 65-69. As a result, the Province has adjusted timelines for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of B.C.’s COVID-19 Immunization Plan.

Just over 440,000 vaccines have been administered so far in B.C.

Click here to view the March 18, 2021, PowerPoint presentations.