Vancouver Coastal Health is expecting the COVID-19 vaccine to roll into Richmond next week at the earliest.
The first 4,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines arrived in B.C. Monday and the priority for vaccinations, according to the B.C. Ministry of Health, is front-line health-care workers and long-term care workers in the Lower Mainland.
A VCH spokesperson said the vaccines won’t be in Richmond earlier than next week.
Starting next Monday, the vaccines will be delivered weekly to all health authorities.
A system is being developed for vaccine registration and to receive a record of immunization.
Health officials are predicting nearly 400,000 British Columbians will be immunized by March.
Health Canada signed an agreement for 249,000 doses in December, four million by March and has the option to buy 56 million more.
Health Canada, however, hasn’t approved the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 16 years of age or younger.
“Its safety and effectiveness in people younger than 16 years of age have not yet been established,” Health Canada wrote when announcing its decision.
- with files from Stefan Labbé/Glacier Media
