17.2°C Vancouver 17.2°C VancouverDec 22, 2020 2:01 AM -
British Columbia's top doctor says every regional health authority has received doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says vaccine deliveries last week were concentrated in the Lower Mainland, where case counts and transmission rates are highest.
But she says B.C.'s immunization campaign is set to roll out on Vancouver Island, and in the Northern and Interior health regions, which have also seen rising cases.
The vaccine must be stored at ultra-low temperatures and Henry says so far, Pfizer requires doses to be administered at points of arrival, so people receiving it in coming days will have to travel to a central location.
Dr. Henry says she's looking forward to approval from the company to allow 975-dose trays of the vaccine to be broken up and delivered throughout communities and in particular to long-term care homes.
B.C. announced 1,667 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday over a three-day period, as well as 41 additional deaths, pushing the death toll to 765.
There were 3,644 people vaccinated last week and Henry says there have been COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to every health authority in the province.
