The B.C. government says people over the age of 40 can now book an appointment to get the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a local pharmacy.
For the past three weeks, the vaccine has only been available for adults between the age of 55 and 65, as health officials were investigating rare instances of blood clots in Europe, after younger adults had received that vaccine, all of whom happened to be women.
In Canada, there have been two cases of blood clots – one in Quebec and one in Alberta – out of millions of doses of the vaccine that have been administered.
Health officials say, as of April 14, more than 114,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been distributed in local pharmacies, with about 88,000 still available in just over 600 pharmacies. That includes 13 pharmacies in Kamloops where people are able to book appointments.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the risk of a blood clot from AstraZeneca is about four-in-a-million, and says the risk of being hospitalized from COVID-19 is two-to-four per cent, or between 20,000- and 40,000-times more likely.
“So we know that the benefits from this vaccine far outweigh the risk of very rare blood clots. We also know that we understand a bit more about how these happen, and clinicians have been notified. We have a test for it, and we have treatment.”
The province is also about to receive an additional 75,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from the U.S., which will be provided to 13 communities in B.C. where COVID-19 transmission is highest and the “risk of hospitalization” is highest. Those include Dawson Creek, Squamish, and 11 communities in Fraser Health, including Newton, North Delta, Panorama, Fleetwood, South Langley, West Abbotsford, North Surrey, Port Coquitlam and Kensington.
Meanwhile, for people getting vaccinated at mass vaccine clinics like the one at McArthur Island or the Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops, people 63 and older are currently able to book an appointment.
The province is also extending “circuit-breaker” restrictions across B.C. until May 25, after May long weekend. As of this weekend, they say people can be ticketed if they leave their health authorities for non-essential reasons.