1/4 of massive booster lineup at Vancouver Convention Centre Thursday had no appointment

Upwards of 1,000 people may have showed up at the Vancouver Convention Centre without a vaccine appointment Thursday, contributing to massive lineups that left many waiting hours for their booster.

Those who arrived for a scheduled appointment were sent to the back of a long queue that stretched from the convention centre's east building to the west building outside, then continued snaking back and forth inside.

Staff told them their appointment would be honoured, but only on a first come, first served basis.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix confirmed approximately 5,000 people received a shot at that location alone on Thursday, but said one in four people surveyed were not scheduled to be there.

"It caused a bit of a challenge for us," Dix said Friday.

"I apologize to people who waited in line for a couple of hours at the convention centre, but I also thank them for their perseverance, for getting through and for getting their booster dose."

The government has previously made it clear that while clinics still allow drop-ins for first and second doses, appointments are required for boosters. Children between the ages of five and 11, who receive a smaller dose of vaccine designed specifically for them, also need an appointment.

"There are no drop-ins for third doses," Dix said. "That makes the system work better for everybody."

Staff at the convention centre also indicated this week's winter storm, which made for dangerous conditions on several roads and bridges, caused many people to miss appointments Thursday morning, and that contributed to the backlog throughout the day.

Dix said the province is continuing to increase vaccination capacity, however, and that there are "hundreds of thousands" of open appointments. The minister said one of his constituents was able to book an appointment for Saturday on Thursday.

"We have lots of appointments that are coming available and are going to be coming available," he said.

Vancouver Coastal Health, which operates the convention centre vaccination clinic, apologized for the long lineups on Thursday evening, but did not offer an explanation.

“We always experience some hiccups on the first few days of a new clinic, and we have never vaccinated this many people on Day 1 (3,600 people) and Day 2 (5,000 people)," the health authority said in a statement.

There have been other hiccups across the province with redundant or missing appointment invitations.

Delta resident James Berrell and his wife became eligible for their booster shots on Jan. 1, but did not receive an invitation to schedule an appointment. His wife called Immunize B.C. and was able to book appointments over the phone.

“After I got the booster … I received an invitation to go get my booster,” Berrell said.

CTV News has heard similar stories from people not receiving invitations but booking appointments over the phone through Immunize B.C., then getting invitations after receiving their jab.

Richmond resident Traci Corr passed seven months since her second dose before she received the invitation to book her booster appointment. She received the shot on Jan. 5 but has since received three more invitations to book an appointment.

“I don't know how long these invitations to book my booster will continue to come to me, I’ve had all the boosters I can take at this point,” Corr said.

As of Jan. 6, the province said 529,156 invitations to book booster appointments have been sent “where there has not been an appointment booked yet,” but it’s hard to tell how many of those invitations may be redundant.

So far, 88.3 per cent of eligible British Columbians age five and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 83 per cent have received two. About 23 per cent of residents 12 and older have also received a booster dose.