If your first vaccine in B.C. was AstraZeneca, the second shot is your choice: Dr. Bonnie Henry

British Columbia residents who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to choose if they want to stay with the same shot or take one of the other options.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this year made ``the right choice'' in getting vaccinated, and helped to ease the COVID-19 caseload in the province.

She says research has shown that it is safe and effective to mix and match the COVID-19 vaccine options.

Dr. Henry also said the province is having issues maintaining a steady supply of the Moderna vaccine, meaning some who received it as a first dose may get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as their second.

B.C. reported 199 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, for a total of 144,866, along with two new deaths.

Dr. Henry says 71.8 per cent of the province's eligible adult population has received a first dose of vaccine.