AZ shots for those age 55-65 coming
People between the ages of 55 and 65 can start booking COVID-19 vaccination shots next week in the Okanagan.
Doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be available at pharmacies throughout the Valley.
“Distribution of vaccine is ongoing and will be delivered to pharmacies based on when supply arrives,” states the bcpharmacy.ca website.
“Pharmacies with online booking ask that you try to book online before calling. Some locations may allow for drop-in service,” the website says.
As of Friday afternoon, the list of where vaccines will be available in the Okanagan includes five in Kelowna, one in Lake Country, four in Vernon, three in West Kelowna, and none in Penticton.
It's a race between vaccines and variants as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across B.C.
Vaccinations passed the one-million mark on Friday but new cases of the disease continue to surge.
A total of 1,262 British Columbians, most of whom live in the Lower Mainland, tested positive for the disease on Friday. Of the new cases, 132 were in the Interior Health region.
More than 4,100 cases caused by variants of concern have now been detected in B.C. These viruses can spread more quickly, cause more severe illness, and may be more resistant to vaccines.
As of Friday, people over age 65 were able to register for a vaccine shot.
The number of people who've been vaccinated reached 1,025,019, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced in a joint statement.
"This is a significant milestone for all of us, and we will continue to work to get vaccines into arms as soon as we can," they said. "No matter what our age, or where we may be, our province is not yet protected from COVID-19. This is why we all need to follow all of the public health orders."
People should avoid indoor gatherings outside of their immediate household, and avoid travel, Henry and Dix said.
The vaccination program aims to have shots made available to all adult British Columbians by Canada Day.
There are currently 9,574 active cases of COVID-19 with 332 people being treated for the disease in hospital. The rest are recovering at home in self-isolation.