VANCOUVER -- The first round of COVID-19 vaccines will be administered in B.C. on Tuesday, according to the province’s provincial health officer.
During her update, Dr. Bonnie Henry said the first doses arrived in the province late Sunday night and that teams are now doing the final preparations to start the first immunization in clinics tomorrow.
“This is momentous news,” Dr. Henry said. “And (is) the first step in our path to protecting people most at risk in our communities and taking the pressure off our health-care system so that care is available for all of us who need it across the province.”
Dr. Henry says the first vaccines will be given at two sites in the Lower Mainland, one in Vancouver and one in the Fraser Health region. The province is expecting more supply next week and is hoping the vaccine will then be available in every health authority.
“I can't tell you how exciting this is to know that this start of this new phase of being able to protect people is beginning here in B.C., and in Canada,” Dr. Henry said.
“I'm emotional every time I think about it and I'm going to be at the clinic tomorrow, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the first vaccines go into the arms of health-care workers here in B.C."
The first COVID-19 vaccines were injected into the arms of Canadians on Monday, a historic moment some have dubbed “V-Day,” as the country enters a new phase of the ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus.
