COVID-19: Here's how to get your vaccination shot in B.C. – Vancouver Sun

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The vaccines are coming. After a long wait, B.C. is gearing up for one of its largest mass immunization efforts in history.

On March 1, Premier John Horgan unveiled Phase 2 of the province’s COVID-19 rollout plan and announced that seniors over 80 and Indigenous people over 65 will start receiving their vaccinations on March 15.

Here’s what you need to know to get your jab.

Q: Who has been vaccinated so far?

A: Phase 1 of B.C.’s COVID-19 immunization rollout, which started late December, targeted front-line health-care providers and people living in long-term care and assisted living facilities.

As of Feb. 26, 252,373 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the province, 73,808 of which were second doses.

The B.C. government has promised that approximately 4.3 million British Columbians over 18 will be vaccinated by September, equating to 8.6 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Q: How do I book an appointment?

A: As part of the Phase 2 rollout, seniors who are 90 and older and Indigenous people who are 65 and older will be able to book their vaccinations starting March 8, while seniors 85-89 can book starting March 15, and seniors 80-84 can book beginning March 22.

Booking information — including health authority contact details, complete call-in schedules, hours of operations and step-by-step instructions on how to call to book an appointment — will be available on March 8 at www.gov.bc.ca/bcseniorsfirst.

The government has promised that seniors would also be able to make one call to book their appointment through their health authority call centre.

Here is the contact list of regional health authority call centres, which will be open from 7 a.m. to 7p.m., seven days a week:

• Fraser Health: 1-855-755-2455
(Fraser Health also has online booking: Fraserhealth.ca/vaccinebookinginfo)
• Interior Health: 1-877-740-7747 ‡
• Island Health: 1-833-348-4787
• Northern Health: 1-844-255-7555 ‡
• Vancouver Coastal Health: 1-877-587-5767

People will be given a list of local vaccination clinics to choose from and the call centre agent will confirm the appointment time and location.

People should only call in when they are eligible. Anyone who misses their age-based dates can still call, book and be vaccinated at any time after they become eligible.

Q: What information will I need to provide to call centre?

A: The call centre will ask for:
• Legal name;
• date of birth;
• postal code;‡
• personal health number (PHN) from the back of B.C. driver’s licences or BC services cards;
• current contact information, including an email address or phone number to receive texts.

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To avoid fraud, the province is warning people that the health authority will never ask people for their social insurance number, driver’s license number or banking and credit card details.

Q: When can I get vaccinated?

A: Vaccination for the general population is expected to take place from April until September 2021. The vaccines will be administered by age in five-year increments, starting with people aged 75 to 79.

British Columbians will register and book their appointments to receive their first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through an online registration tool. The province has not yet revealed details or a website for the online registration system.

The provincial government provided this estimate of when appointment slots would open for various age ranges:

Phase 3:

• people 75 to 79: First shot April; second shot May
• people 70-74: First shot April; second shot May
• people 65-69: First shot May or June; second shot June or July
• people 60-64: First shot June; second shot July
• clinically vulnerable people 16-69: first and second shots between April and June

Phase 4:

• people 40-59: First shot July; second shot August
• people 35-39: First shot July; second shot August
• people 30-34: First shot July; second shot August
• people 25-29: First shot July or August; second shot August or September
• people 18-24: First shot August; second shot September

Q: What if I’m a front-line worker, am immunocompromised or have other serious health conditions? Can I get the vaccine earlier? 

A: The province had said that once additional vaccines are approved by Health Canada and become available, front-line essential workers or workers who belong to specific industries may be included in the later part of Phase 3 or 4. Chances got better last week after Canada approved the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. It has secured 22 million doses, which are expected to arrive between April and September.

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People age 16 to 69 who are deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable can get appointment slots in April and June.

Q: Where can I get vaccinated?

A: Vaccination clinics will be set up in gyms, arenas, convention halls, and community halls. Residents of rural communities may be able to access mobile clinics, which can also provide vaccinations to people who are homebound with mobility challenges.

Vaccines are not expected to be administered at doctors’ offices.

Q: What do I need to bring to my appointment?

A: Make sure you wear mask, bring your Personal Health Number (if you have one) and wear loose fitting clothing. The intramuscular injection will be made into the arm, close to the shoulder.

It is recommended to arrive a few minutes before your appointment time. After checking in, you will get your vaccine dose then have to wait in an observation area for 15 minutes.

Q: Will I be given a record of my vaccination?

A: Most people will receive an immunization card that they’ll need to bring with them when they get their second shot.

You’ll also have an option to receive a digital copy of your immunization record that will be available on the province’s Health Gateway site, which you can register for by using the BC Services Card app on your phone.

Health Gateway is available to anyone 12 and older with a BC Services Card.

Q: When do I get my second dose? 

The province has extended the timeline between the first and second dose to 16 weeks or 112 days. The vaccine manufacturers recommended a timeline of 21 to 28 days between doses, but the B.C. Centre for Disease Control says “extending the time between first and second doses does not reduce vaccine protection over the long term and for most vaccines, a slightly longer interval is better.”

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After you get your first dose, you will be notified by email, text or phone when you are eligible to book an appointment for the second dose.

Q: What vaccines are available? What are the side effects and how effective are they?

A: Canada has approved three vaccines: The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

Possible side effects include redness or pain at the injection site, fever, chills, or fatigue.

Pfizer and Moderna say their vaccines provide a 94 to 95 per cent immunity when two doses are administered.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has a lower efficacy rate at 62 per cent, but is 100 per cent effective in preventing serious cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and death.

Q: Is it mandatory to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

The vaccine is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended by health officials. The provincial government says everyone who would like a vaccine and who is eligible to receive it will have the opportunity to be vaccinated.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free for everyone living in B.C. who is eligible to receive it.

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With files from Scott Brown and Katie DeRosa

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