Coronavirus: Slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccine in Interior Health region

B.C. is in the third week of its COVID-19 vaccination program, but Interior Health has only received a fraction of the doses acquired by the province.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said on Monday that the province has received 54,625 total doses of vaccine, including approximately 34,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 20,500 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

The vaccine is being distributed to health authorities across the province based on population size.

Dr. Henry confirmed that Interior Health has been allocated 1,950 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and 1,900 doses of the Moderna vaccine to date.

Despite the slow start to the rollout, health officials said vaccinations will be ramping up as the province receives more shipments.

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The highest-priority groups will get inoculated first, including residents and staff of long-term care homes and assisted living facilities, front-line acute care workers such as emergency department and ICU staff and paramedics, and members of rural and isolated First Nations communities.

Meanwhile, the Interior Health region recorded four more COVID-19 related deaths over the past four days.

Another person has tragically passed away at McKinney Place long-term care in Oliver, bringing the total to 13 deaths.

It is the deadliest outbreak of COVID-19 at a long-term care home in the region.

One person has died at Heritage Square in Vernon, marking the first death at this long-term care home. Thirty cases are connected to the outbreak.

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There have also been two deaths in the community.

“We are saddened to report four additional deaths related to COVID-19 in Interior Health over the weekend,” said IH president and CEO Susan Brown.

“We know this is especially hard for the families and caregivers and I want to offer our condolences during this difficult time. As we start 2021, there is much to be hopeful for with the vaccination roll-out underway, but we all must remember to keep following public health guidance to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.”

IH is reporting 290 new cases since Dec. 31, for a total of 4,178.

There are 767 active cases of COVID-19, and 39 people are in hospital, including six of them in critical care.

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The positivity rate reached an all-time high in Interior Health at 10 per cent on Jan 1, which was higher than the provincial average of 8.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, fewer tests have been completed. 534 tests were performed on Jan 3. A month prior, 1,669 tests were completed on Dec. 5.