Interior Health begins immunization of workers in high-risk locations as age cohorts expand

Interior Health has begun administering COVID-19 vaccine to workers in high-risk locations, including those at industrial work camps and congregate living settings.

Additional supply of COVID-19 vaccine announced by the Province makes it possible to direct immunizations toward these high-risk workers in select settings such as food processing facilities, work camps, Big White Mountain, farms and nurseries.

Providing the vaccine to workers in high-risk settings reduces risk of outbreak in those settings, which contributes to decreased community spread and transmission overall.

Having received 6,500 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the province, Interior Health will complete these targeted immunizations over the next few weeks. Interior Health has identified eligible employers and is working directly with them to arrange vaccine scheduling.

More broadly, Interior Health continues its primary immunization campaign based on age for the following groups:

·       Seniors born in or before 1942 (79+) and Aboriginal people born in or before 1966 (55+) could book starting Saturday, March 20

·       Seniors born in or before 1943 (78+) may book from Monday, March 22

·       Seniors born in or before 1944 (77+) may book from Tuesday, March 23

·       Seniors born in or before 1945 (76+) may book from Thursday, March 25

·       Seniors born in or before 1946 (75+) may book from Saturday, March 27

Individuals who are eligible based on their year of birth may call 1-877-740-7747 between 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., DST, seven days a week to schedule their appointment.

To register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, the public will only be asked for:

• legal name
• date of birth
• postal code
• personal health number (PHN) from a Care Card or the back of the B.C. driver’s licence or BC services cards, and
• current contact information, including an email address or a phone number that is regularly checked.