Today, the provincial government announced that anyone who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at their local pharmacy can receive their second dose at community pharmacies.
Those who received their first dose at a pharmacy will be contacted by the same pharmacist in the coming days to weeks to schedule an appointment. Only the AstraZeneca vaccine will be offered at community pharmacy in B.C. Pharmacies will only be providing second dose vaccinations.
The recommended timeframe between first and second doses of AstraZeneca is 8 to 12 weeks, and pharmacists will contact patients in the order they received their vaccine and to maintain the proper interval between doses.
“Our pharmacists are happy to be part of delivering second doses to British Columbians,” said Annette Robinson, President of the BC Pharmacy Association. “As many people are anxious to get their second dose, we need to ensure that people are getting their vaccine in the right time period. Pharmacists will contact patients. We’re asking that individuals not call multiple pharmacies or begin to try to book appointments. Please wait for your pharmacy to contact you. They will do so as quickly as possible.”
Patients should expect to be contacted based on this timeline below:
| If you received your first dose at pharmacy: | Your pharmacy will contact you: |
| Between March 31 and April 13 | Between June 7 and June 20 |
| Between April 14 and April 27 | Between June 21 and July 5 |
| April 28 and after | July 6 and after |
Some pharmacies may already have a limited supply remaining from recent shipments. In general, the public can expect the remainder of participating pharmacies to begin receiving supplies of the vaccine early next week.
All patients who received the first shot of AstraZeneca will be eligible to receive a second dose of AstraZeneca. In accordance with public health guidelines, patients who are contacted by their pharmacist for a second dose of AstraZeneca will also be informed that they can choose to receive an mRNA vaccine at a public health clinic instead.
While anyone who received their first dose at pharmacy will be contacted by their pharmacist, it is still important to register with the provincial government’s Get Vaccinated registration process, at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated.