Premier John Horgan to address media as COVID-19 vaccinations begin in BC

Premier John Horgan is scheduled to address the media on Tuesday afternoon, as British Columbia prepares to deliver the first doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers.

Yesterday, health officials announced 2,146 new test-positive coronavirus cases over a reporting period of three days. There were also 49 more deaths that occurred over the weekend, bringing the death toll to 647.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also announced that final preparations were underway to deliver the vaccinations at one location in Vancouver and another in Fraser Health.

Calling it “momentous news,” she said that the vaccine would take the pressure off BC’s healthcare system so that care is available to everyone who needs it.

• See also:
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  • “First images” of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine headed for Canada (PHOTOS)
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After the initial rollout, officials expect to receive “tens of thousands” of doses in the subsequent weeks and into early January.

Vaccines will continue arriving each week in BC in increasing quantities, with targeted deployment for people in priority groups. Timelines will depend on vaccine approval and availability.

Pfizer Canada and BioNTech will supply the Government of Canada a minimum of 20 million doses — and up to 76 million doses — of the vaccine through 2021.

Horgan is scheduled to address the media at 12:30 pm PST. The conference will be available to stream online.

With files from Megan Devlin.