Vancouver Coastal Health is apologizing after some people waited hours for their COVID-19 booster vaccine at the Vancouver Convention Centre Thursday.
Video taken in the afternoon showed a huge lineup snaking around the building, out onto the street and down past another row of stores and restaurants.
Some people told Global News they had to wait for three hours.
Appointments are required for booster doses, yet some in line said they did not have an appointment. It’s unclear if those people were able to get a booster when they did reach the front of the line.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said Friday that one in four people in line at the clinic did not have an appointment.
He wanted to remind everyone there are no drop-ins for booster doses.
“We always experience some hiccups on the first few days of a new clinic, and we have never vaccinated this many people on day 1 and day 2,” VCH said in a statement.
Staff vaccinated 3,600 people the first day and 5,000 people the second day.
“As one of the largest COVID-19 immunization clinics in B.C., people may experience longer lines outside of the Vancouver Convention Centre site, as we deal with a greater volume of clients. VCH is also accommodating those with mobility issues by bringing them directly inside,” the health authority said in a statement.
The latest numbers from the B.C. government show more than a million people have now received a booster dose in the province.