Nolan's Pharmasave (Submitted photo/Nolan's)

By Pete McIntyre

Just a few hours

UPDATE: Appointments snapped up for AstraZeneca vaccines at Vernon pharmacy

Apr 9, 2021 | 3:30 PM

UPDATE: 3:30 p.m.

Two-hundred doses of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine only took a few hours to be spoken for at a Vernon pharmacy today.

The vaccines arrived at Nolan’s Pharmasave around 10 this morning, and after a story on Vernon Matters, 200 appointments had been made by around 2:30 this afternoon.

Sam Nolan from the store said the shots, for people aged 55 to 65, will be administered on Sunday from the Jazz Club on top of their building where there is more space.

Nolan said the response surprised him.

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“We didn’t really know what to expect. We knew lots of people were going to be banging on the door, but that’s a lot of phone calls in four hours.”

He expects to be getting weekly shipments of the AZ vaccine, but doesn’t know when.

“At this time were not taking any more appointments until we know we’re getting more vaccines,” Nolan added.

Here are the Vernon pharmacies to get AstraZeneca vaccines, according to B.C. Pharmacy Association:

Loblaw Pharmacy #1531
5001 Anderson Way

Nolan’s Pharmasave Drugs #222
3101 30th Avenue

Shoppers Drug Mart #2271
4376 – 27 Street

Shoppers Drug Mart #2299
Polson Place Mall

For the complete list, click here.
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10:30 a.m. story: Vernon pharmacy gets AstraZeneca vaccines

A Vernon pharmacy got a special shipment this morning.

Nolan’s Pharmasave on 30th Ave. received 200 doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine around 9:30 a.m.

“It’s being shipped from the government wholesalers with no warning. It just appears at our pharmacy in bunches of 200 doses. We assume we are going to be getting one shipment a week,” the store’s Sam Nolan told Vernon Matters.

The vaccines are only for people 55 to 65 years old, and only for their first dose.

“We’re going to be booking appointments and doing clinics when we can squeeze them in,” Nolan said. We’re planning to do a clinic on the weekend where we’re booking people in for Sunday morning with a pharmacist, and trying to go through all the doses if we can.”

Nolan is not sure if other Vernon pharmacies have received the AstraZeneca vaccines as well, but that is the province’s plan, to provide them to pharmacies in various communities.

“As mentioned by the Health Minister at the provincial briefing, some pharmacies will be providing AstraZeneca doses to that age group next week,” a spokesperson from Interior Health told Vernon Matters.

To book an appointment with Nolan’s, call 250-542-4181, and extension 1 for the pharmacy.