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Media Contacts

Sage Aaron

Communications Director
Office of the Premier
778 678-0832

Ministry of Health

Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Backgrounders

Immunization plan Phase 2

British Columbia’s COVID-19 immunization plan is based on scientific evidence, expert advice and guidelines from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, and developed by B.C.’s immunization committee and public health leadership committee led by Dr. Bonnie Henry.

The focus of the plan is on preventing severe illness and death, protecting the health-care system by immunizing health-care workers and managing outbreaks.

Beginning March 8, 2021, seniors aged 80+ and Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) peoples aged 65+ who are not living in independent living or senior’s supportive housing can make one call to register and book an appointment through their local health authority call centre for themselves or a loved one:

  • March 8, 2021: Seniors born in or before 1931 (90 years+) and Indigenous people born in or before 1956 (65 years+) may call to book their vaccine appointment;
  • March 15, 2021: Seniors born in or before 1936 (85 years+) may call to book their vaccine appointment; and
  • March 22, 2021: Seniors born in or before 1941 (80 years+) may call to book their vaccine appointment.

The call centre will ask for:

  • legal name
  • date of birth
  • postal code
  • personal health number (PHN) from the back of B.C. driver's licences or BC services cards, and
  • current contact information, including an email address you or your family checks regularly or a phone number that can receive text messages.

Call centres will never ask people for financial information, including credit card details. 

Regional health authority call centre hours are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
Numbers to call are:

  • Fraser Health: 1 855 755-2455
  • Interior Health: 1 877 740-7747
  • Island Health: 1 833 348-4787
  • Northern Health: 1 844 255-7555
  • Vancouver Coastal Health: 1 877 587-5767

B.C. immunization plan phased approach:

Phase 1 (substantially complete, some ongoing). Timeline: December 2020 to February 2021

  • Residents and staff in long-term care facilities (complete)
  • Individuals assessed for and awaiting long-term care (complete)
  • Residents and staff of assisted-living residences (complete)
  • Essential visitors to long-term care facilities and assisted-living residences (complete)
  • Remote and isolated Indigenous communities (ongoing)
  • Health-care workers providing care for COVID-19 patients in settings like intensive care units, emergency departments, paramedics, medical units and surgical units (ongoing)

Phase 2 (current). Timeline: February to April 2021

  • Seniors aged 80+ who are not immunized in Phase 1
  • Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) peoples, age 65 and over and Elders, and additional Indigenous communities not immunized in Phase 1
  • Hospital staff, community general practitioners and medical specialists not immunized in Phase 1 (ongoing)
  • Vulnerable populations living and working in select congregated settings (ongoing)
  • Staff in community home support and nursing services for seniors (ongoing)

Phase 3 – General population immunization. Timeline: April to June 2021

*Timeline may change based on vaccine availability
People aged 79 to 60, in five-year increments (D1 = first dose/D2 = second dose)

  • Aged 79 to 75; D1: April/D2: May
  • Aged 74 to 70; D1: April/D2: May
  • Aged 69 to 65; D1: May or June/D2: June or July
  • Aged 64 to 60; D1: June/D2: July
  • Aged 69 to 16 who are clinically extremely vulnerable; D1/D2 April-June

As additional vaccines are approved and become available, people who are front-line essential workers or work in specific workplaces or industries may receive vaccines later in Phase 3 and into Phase 4.

Phase 4. Timeline: July to September 2021

*Timeline may change based on vaccine availability
People aged 59 to 18, in five-year increments: (D1 = first dose/D2 = second dose)

  • Aged 59 to 55; D1: July/D2: August
  • Aged 54 to 50; D1: July/D2: August
  • Aged 49 to 45; D1: July/D2: August
  • Aged 44 to 40; D1: July/D2: August
  • Aged 39 to 35; D1: July or August/D2: August or September
  • Aged 34 to 30; D1: August/D2: September
  • Aged 29 to 25; D1: August or September/D2: September
  • Aged 24 to 18; D1/D2: September

Immunization for clinically extremely vulnerable Individuals

British Columbians aged 69 to 16 with the following conditions will be eligible for earlier immunization in Phase 3 as they are deemed clinically extremely vulnerable:

  • solid organ transplant recipients
  • people with specific cancers:
    • people with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy
    • people with lung cancer who are undergoing radical radiotherapy
    • people with cancers of the blood or bone marrow, such as leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma who are at any stage of treatment
    • people having immunotherapy or other continuing antibody treatments for cancer
    • people having other targeted cancer treatments that can affect the immune system, such as protein kinase inhibitors or PARP (Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase) inhibitors
    • people who have had bone marrow or stem cell transplants in the last six months or who are still taking immunosuppression drugs
  • people with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • people with rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections, such as severe combined immunodeficiency, homozygous sickle cell disease
  • people on immunosuppression therapies enough to significantly increase risk of infection (biologic modifiers, high dose steroids, AZT, cyclophosphamide)
  • people who had a splenectomy (spleen removed)
  • adults with very significant developmental disabilities that increase risk (details to come)
  • adults on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease (stage 5)
  • women who are pregnant with significant heart disease, congenital or acquired
  • significant neuromuscular conditions requiring respiratory support