Earlier, it was announced that Island Health was booking British Columbians aged 65 and up for vaccinations, however, a correction has been made from the health authority in its messaging.
As of 12 p.m. on April 8, anyone who is aged 65 or older will be able to register for a COVID-19 vaccination appointment through the newly launched online portal.
Apologies, our last tweet had incorrect information. Those 65+ are now eligible to register for the vaccine. Booking invitations will be released by age based on availability of appointments and supply: https://t.co/sBQgH08rmI #COVID19IslandHealth
— Island Health (@VanIslandHealth) April 8, 2021
At this time, British Columbians who are eligible to book a vaccination appointment are people who are 70 and older, Indigenous peoples 18 and older, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
Earlier this week, the Province of B.C. launched a new online portal that enables residents to register for appointments as well. Prior to the online portal being activated, appointments could only be booked over the phone.
The provincial government wants anyone booking an appointment online to register first to get a confirmation code, then book an appointment for a shot when they are contacted by health officials over email, text or phone.
The booking hub can be found at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated, officially having launched on Tuesday, April 6, at 8 a.m.
The Province’s messaging at this time is those aged 65 and up can go online and register through the portal and when health officials expand the immunization program for bookings, they will be notified. At this time however, anyone under the age of 70 is not eligible to book and receive a vaccination.
As far as the online portal goes, the government says registration is available 24 hours per day and should take an individual roughly five minutes to sign up.
To register online, B.C. residents must provide:
- First and last name
- Date of birth
- Postal code
- Personal Health Number
- An email address that gets checked regularly or a phone number that can receive text messages
Personal Health Numbers on the back of B.C. driver’s licences or BC Services Cards.
British Columbians will still be able to book vaccine appointments over the phone by calling a provincial call centre as well at 1-833-838-2323.
Correction: An earlier version of this story reported Island Health’s statement that people aged 65+ could book their appointment. In fact, Island Health was incorrect and those 65+ can only register to schedule their appointment.
Graham Cox
