After beginning its initial COVID-19 vaccine roll-out last month, the B.C. government on Friday (January 22) unveiled in detail its plans for immunizing the province’s general population.
The strategy entails four distinct phases and is based primarily on age groups in an effort to administer doses to 4.3 million eligible British Columbians by the end of September (residents under the age of 18 are not currently eligible).
Here’s how the vaccination queue looks for different groups across the province:
Phase 1 (December to January):
o Residents, staff and essential visitors to long-term care and assisted living
o Individuals assessed for and awaiting long-term care
o Hospital health-care workers who may provide care for COVID-19 patients
o Remote and isolated Indigenous communities
Phase 2 (February to March):
o Seniors over 80 who have not yet been immunized
o Indigenous seniors over 65 and additional Indigenous communities not yet immunized
o Hospital staff, community general practitioners and medical specialists not yet immunized
o Vulnerable populations in select congregated settings
o Staff in community home support and nursing for seniors
Phase 3 (April to June):
o British Columbians aged 60-79 in descending five-year age brackets (e.g. 75-79 first; 70-74 second)
o People aged 16-69 who are clinically extremely vulnerable (that includes those with specific cancers, such as leukemia or lymphoma; people with severe respiratory issues; people on immunosuppression therapies; and adults on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease)
Phase 4 (July to September):
o British Columbians aged 18-59 in descending five-year age brackets (e.g. 55-59 first; 50-54 second)
If more vaccines are approved (only the Pfizer Inc. [NYSE:PFE] and Moderna Inc. [NYSE:MRNA] have been given the green light by Health Canada), the province also plans on expanding vaccination to those aged 18-64 who are front-line essential workers or who work in specific workplaces or industries that could be included towards the latter part of Phase 3.
Find out more about B.C. vaccination roll-out plan by clicking here.
