More local pharmacies added to vaccination list

A number of additional pharmacies have been added to the list of those offering the COVID-19 AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine.

Late Thursday, the ministry of health announced additional doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be made available to more community pharmacies in the Lower Mainland to support vaccinations of eligible patients between 55 and 65.

This is a list of pharmacies for the first roll-out of #COVID19 vaccines in community pharmacies in B.C. If your local pharmacy is already booked, please check again as there should be more vaccines coming soon. https://t.co/4suJdrddIf pic.twitter.com/PrZbiFHmom

— BC Pharmacy Association (@bc_pharmacy) March 31, 2021

Since pharmacies began receiving vaccines on March 31, the response from eligible patients has been overwhelming, according to the BC Pharmacy Association (BCPhA).

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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 and Fraser Health regions of the Lower Mainland, including several in the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows communities.

This brings the total number of pharmacies offering COVID vaccine appointments to 488.

The BCPhA will continue to update the list of pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccine appointments as they come online.

Vaccines are expected to arrive as early as Monday at these new pharmacy locations, and patients are reportedly already booking appointments for next week – some of those through online systems other by phone.

RELATED: Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows pharmacies booked solid for AstraZeneca vaccine

“We appreciate the partnership with Minister [Adrian] Dix and the vaccine rollout team and the ability move quickly to get pharmacists involved. [Wednesday], we saw clearly that British Columbians really want their vaccines,” said Annette Robinson, president of the BC Pharmacy Association.

“The new doses means thousands more people in the 55 to 65 age group will receive their vaccines in the coming days. This is a strong addition to our province’s goal of immunizing all British Columbians.”

The current list of local outlets:

• Maple Ridge Alouette Pharmacy at 11937 227 St.,

• Maple Ridge Haney Pharmacy in suite D - 22195 Dewdney Trunk Rd.,

• Maple Ridge Loblaw Pharmacy at 22427 Dewdney Trunk Rd.,

• Maple Ridge Maple Meadows Pharmacy at 11893 227 St.,

• Maple Ridge Medlandia Compounding Pharmacy at 20528 Lougheed Hwy.,

• Maple Ridge Pharmasave at #101 - 12005 238B St.,

• Maple Ridge Save-On-Foods Pharmacy at 20395 Lougheed Hwy.,

• Maple Ridge Save-On-Foods Pharmacy at 22703 Lougheed Hwy.,

• Maple Ridge Shoppers Drug Mart at 11939 240th St.,

• Maple Ridge Shoppers Drug Mart at #130 - 20395 Lougheed Hwy.,

• Pitt Meadows Best Care Pharmacy at 12181 Harris Rd.,

• Pitt Meadows Loblaw Pharmacy at #201 - 19800 Lougheed Hwy.,

• Pitt Meadows Meadows Pharmacy at 12161 Harris Rd.,

• Pitt Meadows Pharmasave Health Centre at #105 - 19070 Lougheed Hwy.,

• Pitt Meadows Save-On-Foods Pharmacy at 19150 Lougheed Hwy.,

• Pitt Meadows Shoppers Drug Mart at #110 - 19150 Lougheed Hwy.,

Some locations may allow drop-in service, but that’s not guaranteed.

People seeking vaccinations will be required to bring their Personal Health Number.

The initial selection of pharmacies will be updated regularly and we expect in the coming weeks when more pharmacies are added.

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