Premier Horgan to present details of B.C.’s COVID-19 mass immunization plan

VICTORIA – Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix and health officials are set to reveal the details of British Columbia's COVID-19 mass immunization plan.

Vaccinations have been underway for residents and staff of long-term care and assisted living facilities since late December but with that work mostly concluded, the province is ready to offer immunizations more broadly.

Horgan is expected to lay out who will receive the first shots, when they will get them and which B.C. residents will be next in line.

B.C. presented its four-phase vaccination strategy more than a month ago and expected to launch Phase 2 by the end of February, covering seniors over 80 living at home and Indigenous seniors over 65.

Problems with vaccine delivery have delayed the program.

In all, the mass vaccination strategy expects to immunize more than four million B.C. residents over the age of 18 by late September.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 1, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version said Phase 1 was expected to launch by the end of February.