Island Health completed its first COVID-19 vaccinations today, after receiving a shipment of 1,950 doses.
Dana Scriven, a nursing assistant in a long-term care home, was the first person to receive the vaccine on Vancouver Island.
“I felt a little bit nervous walking into that room with everybody, but it is a vaccine I have read a lot about,” she said. “I had no worries. I’m confident it is safe.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, was the second person to receive the vaccine, followed by Dr. Richard Stanwick, Island Health’s chief medical health officer.
Island Health said it is not booking appointments for COVID-19 immunizations for the general public yet.
There are 65 active cases of COVID-19 in the Island Health region, including nine reported in the last 24 hours. That number includes 24 in the central island region, an increase of two since yesterday, along with 31 in the south and 10 in the north.
There are five people hospitalized with the virus and one in ICU in Island Health, according to the B.C. government’s COVID-19 dashboard. No new virus related deaths were confirmed in the health region.
B.C. recorded 444 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. There are 9,481 active cases of COVID-19 in the province — down 237 since yesterday. That number includes 357 people in hospital and 84 in critical care. There were 12 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the provincial government. The province’s seven day rolling average for new cases is 578.
The province has immunized 4,108 people with the PfizerBioNTech vaccine so far, according to a news release from the B.C. government. The Moderna vaccine is expected to be approved by Health Canada soon.
“Vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna have also provided guidance on how to safely transport the approved vaccines. This means that as deliveries increase in the coming weeks, the vaccine will increasingly be available in more locations,” said a joint statement from Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer and Adrian Dix, minister of health.
