More people in B.C. will soon be able to get their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

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WatchB.C. residents 90 and older, and Indigenous people over 65, will get their first shot at booking their COVID-19 vaccinations this coming week. Skye Ryan has more.

Honking horns and well-wishers flooded the street in front of Karmyn Powell’s home Saturday, for a surprise drive-by birthday.

Powell hopes this will be the last birthday she has to spend distanced from family and friends.

“I miss my family,” she said. “I want my vaccine.”

But there is hope for Powell and millions of others.

British Columbia is moving ahead with its mass COVID-19 vaccination program.

Starting Monday (March 8), residents over the age of 90 and Indigenous people over 65, will be able to phone in and book an appointment with Island Health to get their first dose of vaccine.

According to the province, about 50 agents will be standing by to book shots at clinics across Vancouver Island. Mobile units will be hitting the road, administering shots to seniors who are housebound.

It’s news that the province’s top doctor was pleased to share with British Columbians last week.

“We are now in those final miles of this marathon,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province’s provincial health officer, said during a press conference last week.  “We know there’s an endpoint in sight,” said Henry.

Among those who are planning on getting the vaccine is 103-year-old Joe Williams, who lives in independent living in Nanaimo.

“I’m getting it, it’s for my benefit,” he said.

Williams, a great-grandfather who survived the 1918 pandemic, the Great Depression, and the Second World War, said he can now see himself making it through the second major pandemic of his lifetime.

“I’d say I’m a very lucky man,” he said.

Then on March 15, the next round begins with those 85 and over becoming eligible to book appointments for their first dose of the vaccine. On March 22, people 80 and over will be able to book appointments for the vaccine

B.C. health officials are hoping everyone in the province will have received their first dose of vaccine by mid to late July

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Skye RyanSkye Ryan

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