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At the briefing, Henry also released numbers on COVID-19 cases from Dec. 31 to Jan. 4. Over four days, there were 2,211 new cases: 565, 607, 500, and 539 new cases respectively.
During those four days, there were 45 deaths; total COVID-19 deaths in B.C. are now at 946.
The first vaccine approved for use in Canada was by Pfizer-BioNTech on Dec. 9, 2020. The Moderna vaccine was approved Dec. 23, 2020. Both vaccines require two shots to achieve maximum protection against SARS-CoV-2.
Worldwide, there are more than 150 vaccines in development.
Henry said as of January 4, B.C. has received a total 54,625 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
“There has been a lot of planning and preparation required for these vaccines,” Henry said.
Neither vaccine can be kept stable in a fridge. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, for example, has to be kept frozen at -80 to -60 Celsius.
“There is a lot of things we’re not used to having to do when we’re handling vaccines including ultra low temperature gloves, being able to work with liquid nitrogen, (and) thermal containers which are quite heavy and how do you get them from one place to another,” she said.
As well, planning requires a record system to ensure that people receive the correct second dose of whatever vaccine they received the first time. And lot numbers have to be tracked to monitor batches for safety.
Henry said the federal government has contracts with five other vaccine manufacturers including AstraZeneca and Janssen.
