B.C.’s first COVID-19 vaccine doses to arrive this week

B.C. will mark a historic moment this week.

In the next few days, the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will arrive in the province.

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The first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in Canada on Sunday evening. The doses will now be sent to 14 distribution sites across the country.

About 4,000 of the 30,000 doses that Canada received will be sent to two sites in the Lower Mainland: one in Metro Vancouver and one in the Fraser Valley.

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The exact locations are not being disclosed due to concerns about sabotage or tampering.

The new Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine must be kept at a temperature of -70 C to remain stable.

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First in line to receive the vaccine in B.C. will be front-line health workers connected to long-term care and those working in intensive care, emergency rooms, and hospitals where COVID-19 patients are being treated.

Next will be residents of long-term care homes and seniors over the age of 80, followed by different groups, based on vulnerability.

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B.C. health officials are hoping to have 400,000 people vaccinated by March.So far, about 460,000 people have been infected with the virus in Canada, with about 13,000 Canadians dying from the disease.