B.C. health officials say flooding is impacting efforts to get doses for children into the province

A child gets a vaccine in this undated image. (Shutterstock)

VANCOUVER -

As invitations to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children in B.C. continue to roll out, health officials say it has been a “herculean effort” to get doses into the province.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday that the recent flooding has led to damaged highways and disrupted supply chains, causing a logistical issue when it comes to getting enough vaccines for kids aged five to 11 into B.C.

“It takes some days for the shipments to come from Ontario to us and then for us to be able to distribute them,” Henry said. “It has been a herculean effort, literally.”

On Monday, B.C. health officials began sending out invitations for children to book their doses.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday about 104,000 of the 350,000 eligible children in the province had registered to receive the modified dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Henry confirmed Tuesday the invitations will continue to be sent out over the next while and reminded B.C. residents that pharmacies are not currently offering the pediatric vaccines, they are instead focusing on booster doses.

Earlier this month, Health Canada announced its approval of Pfizer-BioNTech's two-dose vaccine for children ages five to 11. The vaccine will be a smaller dose than what's given to those aged 12 and older.

Families are encouraged to speak with their family doctor if they have any questions or concerns about the impacts of the vaccine on children.