Beginning May 1, all British Columbians who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a pharmacy will be required to register online through the province’s Get Vaccinated website before they can receive their second dose.
B.C. pharmacies have been handling both the registration and the delivery of the first AstraZeneca shot, which has been made available to British Columbians born in 1991 or earlier (ages 30 and older).
The recent registration requirement has led to some confusion, as many people left their pharmacy believing an appointment for a second dose was already booked. The Ministry of Health says any second dose appointment you received from your pharmacist is not guaranteed.
Individuals who received a pharmacy shot still need register at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated — the same website used for the government’s age-based vaccine rollout — to ensure they get their second dose.
The reasons why are explained in this Q&A exchange with the Ministry of Health:
Q. If I haven’t registered on Get Vaccinated but I still received the AstraZeneca shot, why do I need to register on May 1?
A. If you received your first dose without registering through the provincial system at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated or by phone at 1-833-838-2323, please register after May 1 so that we can notify you when you are due for your second dose. Registration to the provincial system makes sure that the province has the most up to date information necessary to contact you as soon as you are eligible for Dose 2.
Q. If I registered on British Columbia’s Get Vaccinated site before I received the AstraZeneca shot, do I need to register again after May 1?
A. No, if you have already registered once you do not need to register again.
Q. After I register at Get Vaccinated, will the pharmacy or the province call me regarding my second shot?
A. You will be contacted to book an appointment by the province as soon as you are eligible for your second dose based on the preferred method of contact you provided when you registered at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated. When contacted, you will be able to book your appointment from a list of available locations.
Q. My pharmacist already gave me an appointment date for a second shot of AstraZeneca. Is that date valid?
A. Pharmacy supply is based on the current supply received by the province from the federal government. The distribution of that supply is closely monitored and tracked by the province. To make sure everyone is getting their second dose within 16 weeks timeframe, the province will be notifying people through the provincial system. Appointments booked through a pharmacy cannot be guaranteed as it is based on supply of vaccine and availability at that particular pharmacy. To ensure you get notified on when you can book your second dose, you need to register at gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated.
Q. Can someone mistakenly register twice on Get Vaccinated? And does that cause problems?
A. You only need to register once. If someone registers twice on the Get Vaccinated website, their second registration code will be cancelled, and they will be unable to use this code to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
