One case reported Tuesday

HALIFAX — Despite the crash of an online booking system on Monday, the province said its COVID-19 vaccine program is on track.

The rollout will expand to include initial pharmacy clinics and community healthcare providers this month.

Four pharmacy prototype clinics will launch in the following communities:

• March 9: Halifax Regional Municipality and Shelburne

• March 16: Port Hawkesbury

• March 23: Springhill These prototypes will help inform any changes in how vaccines are delivered through pharmacies before expanding to other locations in April, the Health Department said in a news release Tuesday. Those eligible to receive the vaccine through one of these initial clinics will receive an invitation to participate from their pharmacy.

"In a few short months we have set up clinics for healthcare workers, in long-term care, in the community and soon, vaccines will be available in pharmacies," said Premier Iain Rankin in the release.

"We are taking a measured and steady approach to getting vaccines into the arms of Nova Scotians as quickly as possible."

The vaccine rollout hit a major glitch during the launch Monday of its online booking service for community clinics that will immunize people over 80.

The system was overwhelmed and had to be temporarily taken down. At a vaccine program technical briefing Tuesday, reporters were told the system was designed to handle 250 booking requests per minute, based on tests done by the booking system contractor CanImmunize. But about 500 requests per minute were received.

After the online service was restored, many people who got through were told that bookings had been filled up. The province is working on ways to address that problem as well, reporters were told, such as booking the remainder of people looking for an appointment by date of birth or alphabetical order.

The bookings in place

will apply to over-80 clinics in Halifax, Sydney, Truro and New Minas on March 8.

Three more clinics in Antigonish, Halifax and Yarmouth will start booking on March 8 for clinics running March 15.

According to a progress report released Tuesday, the

province expects to receive 86,660 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in March and an additional 330,000 per month between April and June.

Other products — such as the AstroZenaca vaccine — are expected to be put into the mix sometime in the spring.

The immunization plan is also expanding to include anyone who works in a hospital

and may come into contact with patients as well as community health-care providers who provide direct patient care. This includes:

• Doctors, nurses and continuing care assistants who work in a community practice or provide care in the home.

• Dentists, dental assistants and dental hygienists.

• Pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and pharmacy technicians.

Health-care workers in the next group will receive an invitation to schedule their appointment.

On Tuesday, one new case of COVID-19 was reported in Nova Scotia. The case is the northern health zone is a close contact of a previously reported case, the Health Department said in a news release.