The province received its first doses of COVID-19 vaccine one year ago today (Dec. 14) when a shipment arrived in Vancouver.
The next day, long-term care aide Nisha Yunus became the first person in B.C. to get vaccinated. Since then over 4.2 million British Columbians have joined her in getting at least one dose, according to the province.
“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all the health care workers who have helped people get vaccinated over the past year,” said Premier John Horgan. “We all want to make the best decisions for ourselves and our families. The COVID-19 vaccine is proven to be safe and effective and is bringing us one step further in putting the pandemic behind us.”
As of Dec. 13, 91.5 per cent of eligible people 12 and older have been given a first dose, while 88.5 per cent received their second dose. Over 589,000 people have received a booster dose of vaccine, according to the province.
Invitations for booster doses are being sent out based on level of risk, age group and date of second dose. The province said all eligible British Columbians will have the opportunity to receive their booster shot within the recommended six to eight months after their second dose. Vaccination opened to children aged five to 11 years old on Nov. 30.
The BC Centre for Disease Control (BC CDC) reports unvaccinated people are 56 times more likely to end up in critical care due to COVID-19 than people who have received two vaccine doses.
