Vaccine bookings open to those aged 73 and up in Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health regions
203,800 doses of AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine are headed to B.C. from U.S.
People in B.C.'s Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health regions who are 73 and older — or born in 1948 and before — are now able to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
Those living on the Sunshine Coast or in Powell River, Whistler, Squamish, Pemberton and Bowen Island are able to book if they are aged 70 and up, or born in 1951 and before.
Indigenous people aged 55 and older, born in 1966 or earlier, are also eligible to book.
While the age eligibility varies for other parts of the province, it is 74 and up for the Island and Northern health regions.
Some vulnerable people who have received a letter from the province will also be able to begin booking vaccine appointments on Monday.
As of Friday, 637,856 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-SII COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in B.C., of which 87,233 were second doses.
At the same time, the province recorded 908 new cases of COVID-19 and three more deaths — the second highest single day surge ever recorded by the province. There have been 140 new confirmed COVID-19 cases that are variants of concern, for a total of 1,912 cases. The province says there are 258 active variant cases in B.C.
Surge in AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 doses coming
More than five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Canada, according to CBC's vaccine tracking tool.
Procurement Minister Anita Anand says 1.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine on loan from the U.S. will arrive in Canada by truck on Tuesday — with 203,800 headed to B.C.
The shipment is the first Canada expects to receive from manufacturing plants in the United States, which has so far ensured that all vaccines produced in the U.S. go to Americans.