Provincial health authorities are reducing the wait period between the first and second COVID-19 vaccine dose to 28 days, a reduction from the current 49 days.
The government made the announcement on Aug. 9, 2021.
Starting on the evening of Aug. 9, those eligible for a second dose will receive a notice via the COVID-19 vaccine registration system. The province said about 170,000 people will receive a notice, and that it will take a day or more to send out all of the notifications due to the volume.
In B.C. 70.3 per cent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated, but the government estimates just over 833,000 eligible B.C. residents have not received any COVID-19 vaccine.
At the media conference, B.C. health minister Adrian Dix emphasized that immunization rates for residents aged under 50 in Interior Health and Northern Health is markedly lower than in other health authorities, saying improving vaccination rates for younger residents in those rural health authorities is a focus of ongoing government COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Dix also said any resident can go to any vaccine clinic in B.C. to receive a first dose without an appointment.
In Interior Health, you can book an appointment via this Interior Health website.
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