Media Information / Media Kit

Today, the B.C. Ministry of Health announced additional doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be made available to more community pharmacies in the Lower Mainland to support vaccinations of eligible patients between 55 and 65. Since pharmacies began receiving vaccines on Mar. 31, the response from eligible patients has been overwhelming. Many pharmacies quickly became fully booked as thousands of British Columbians reached out to their local pharmacists to secure appointments. The new supply is being distributed to an additional 375 community pharmacy locations in the Vancouver Coastal Health...

On Mar. 18, the B.C. government announced it is adding community pharmacies to its list of locations delivering COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the province’s vaccine roll-out plan. B.C.’s community pharmacists are ready to help immediately and appreciate the ever-evolving challenges of the vaccine supply. The BC Pharmacy Association is pleased, after the many weeks of discussions with the government about the role of pharmacies and pharmacists in the largest immunization campaign undertaken, that today’s announcement assures British Columbians that their local pharmacies will soon be...

On March 16, 2021 public statements suggested that it would take several weeks for community pharmacists to be ready to administer COVID vaccines once government has confirmed they will be part of the roll-out program. It was also suggested that the government and public health were not engaged in discussions with community pharmacists. The BC Pharmacy Association (BCPhA) wants to assure British Columbians that pharmacists across the province are ready to participate in this most important vaccination program. We are in ongoing discussions with the government about how community pharmacies can...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (March 1, 2021) — B.C,’s community pharmacists join Premier John Horgan in recognizing the hard work by those responsible for managing the province’s pandemic response. At this morning’s announcement about the COVID-19 vaccine roll out plan, it is clear the Province’s priority remains immunizing those most at risk for severe disease. Under Minister of Health Adrian Dix’s and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s direction, plans have been established for concluding facilities-based immunizations of B.C.’s seniors (Phase 1) and for starting community-based...

British Columbia’s community pharmacists were first given authority to administer vaccinations by injection in 2009 during the H1N1 pandemic. Pharmacists were integral to the province’s response to that pandemic. Since then pharmacists have played a key role in provincial immunization campaigns, notably the annual flu vaccination program. This year, B.C. pharmacists administered more than one million flu vaccines, and our pharmacists are widely recognized as having played an essential role in ensuring British Columbians were protected against the flu. B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine program is...