“1,190,832 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca-SII COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in B.C., 87,820 of which are second doses.

“We strongly encourage everyone who is now eligible for a vaccine to arrange for your appointment today. This not only protects you, but also provides greater protection to everyone around you.

“Everyone 55 and older is eligible for a vaccine today. The Astra Zeneca vaccine is available for anyone 55 and over through your local pharmacy. People 64 and older and Indigenous peoples 18 and over, as well as individuals who have received a ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ letter, are being invited to book through the Get Vaccinated program.

“We are pleased to see today’s Health Canada assessment and decision on the AstraZeneca vaccine. We’ve been following this closely, and we await the recommendations from the National Advisory Council on Immunization to determine how to best use this vaccine going forward to further enhance our protection.

“Always using our layers of protection, combined with getting one of the safe and highly effective vaccines as soon as you are eligible, is the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Let’s continue to do our part so we can all put COVID-19 behind us.”

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Denmark has suspeneded all use of this vaccine as has the USA.

In March – More than a dozen countries, mostly in Europe, have suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over fears the shot may have caused some recipients to develop blood clots.

Sweden and Latvia on Tuesday became the latest nations to halt the rollout, following moves by Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Norway, and The Netherlands.