Metro Vancouver residents 55 to 65 years old can now receive AstraZeneca vaccine if they choose

Lower Mainland residents 55 to 65 years old are now eligible to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine less than 24 hours after the province paused using the vaccine on those under the age of 55.

Vaccination registration will take place at community pharmacies in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health regions starting on Wednesday.

“We’re moving ahead with our immunization plan and delivering on our promise to British Columbians to move as quickly as possible, and as safely as possible, to get them the vaccines that they have been waiting patiently for,” Minister of Health Adrian Dix said in a statement.

1:56 Metro Van pharmacies left scrambling after approval of AstraZeneca vaccine for residents aged 55-65

Some pharmacies had booked all the appointments even before Wednesday.

London Drugs was chosen to provide the vaccine at three locations. Overall there are more than 150 locations providing the shot.

As soon as the province made the announcement Tuesday without providing specific locations of where the vaccine was available, London Drugs says all their pharmacies became inundated with customers wanting to book appointments.

“At the three stores where we have so far been allocated vaccines, these pharmacies immediately began taking down eligible patient information aged 55 to 65 for appointments,” the company says in a release.

“There are limited number of vaccines we have been allocated so far. As soon as more supply becomes available, we will open up our online booking similarly to what we would do with routine flu vaccinations. We are ready to vaccinate as many people as possible and expect more information on increased allotment will be coming in the days ahead. Thank you for everyone’s patience.”

4:43 London Drugs responds to COVID vaccine confusion

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday that the province would pause the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in those under the age of 55 “for the next few days” following a recommendation from federal health officials.

Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization on Monday recommended that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine not be administered to people under 55 over concerns it may be linked to rare blood clots.

The province is continuing to use the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for its aged-based program. Currently, those born in 1948 and earlier can book an appointment to receive the vaccine.

2:33 Do the benefits of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risk?

Those between the ages of 55 and 65 are not required to get the AstraZeneca vaccine but can book an appointment to receive a shot before they would under the aged-based system.

The province said those who are interested can call their local pharmacy and book an appointment.

“The AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine is another important tool in our immunization program to get us past this surge of COVID-19 cases,” Henry said in a statement, who went on to say that millions of doses of the vaccine have been administered worldwide and have proven effective.

“I encourage everyone in the Lower Mainland who is between 55 and 65 years of age to receive their safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.”

Here is the list of where the vaccine is available. The province is warning supply is limited and appointments are expected to book quickly.