"Every time we get news that we're getting less vaccine, that news is obviously disappointing," he said.
"Hopefully this is a one-time interruption. But what we can do in
The volume of doses is expected to increase to about 25,000 weekly following the shortage, he said.
The province will devote more of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine it's set to receive this week, along with the "small amount" it has on hand, to completing first doses in long-term care homes across the province and beginning to administer second doses, Dix said.
B.C. reported 465 new cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths on Tuesday.
To date, 92,369 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.
Dix said second doses are crucial to the strength of the program and B.C. remains committed to a 35-day interval between doses.
The minister said second doses will begin Wednesday, which
The following week, 8,000 doses were given out, and 12,000 the week after that, so the demand for second doses will increase over time, he said.
Still, he said the loss of 5,800 vaccines next week does not pose a risk to second vaccinations.
"The risk is not to second doses. The risk is 6,000 fewer first doses," he said. "Every single one of those doses is directed to a vulnerable person or someone working with vulnerable people ... and every one of them is important."
A higher percentage of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines given out in the coming weeks will be second doses, he said, while the
The province began receiving the
The federal government announced Tuesday that
Asked whether B.C. is looking at trying to obtain vaccines outside of the supply chains set up by
There's no "back door" source for vaccines, he said.
He said he expects the federal government to lead efforts to obtain more vaccine for the provinces and he's confident in
Dix also responded to calls from the
The care providers association said in a news release that 1.3 million rapid test kits purchased by the federal government are currently warehoused in B.C. and ready for use.
Dix said rapid tests are being used in remote and rural communities because of the time it takes for lab results to return. However, rapid tests are less accurate than the gold-standard test and take "considerable" investments of staff and effort, he said, making them unrealistic to use on a regular basis.
Pilot projects in the
"I appreciate that people are lobbying for this," he said. "All I can tell you is all of our medical health officers ... are unbelievably committed to long-term care."
The minister was in
The centre has longer hours and is aimed at providing urgent care for people suffering from injuries or illness that don’t require an emergency room visit.
This report by
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