Northern Health's mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre is expected to open on Tuesday.
Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins said the clinic will initially have the capacity to deliver 150 to 200 doses of vaccine per day, to those who have pre-arranged appointments. Collins said the plan is to expand capacity as vaccine availability allows.
"This is the launch. This is the first of our mass immunization events," she said. "It's a massive effort in a province with widely-varying circumstances."
Currently Prince George area residents aged 80 and older – 65 and older for First Nations members – can call 1-844-255-7555 to book their appointment. The vaccine booking line is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week.
If a person misses booking an appointment when their age group first becomes eligible, they can still book one later, she said.
"Their eligibility never expires," Collins said.
The civic centre clinic will initially run from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Patients should only show up a short time before their scheduled appointment, and enter the building through the main front doors, Collins said.
"Staff will guide people through the process," she said.
People attending the clinic should wear masks and follow the social distance markers on the floor.
Anyone with COVID-like symptoms is asked to cancel their appointment and rebook once they are symptom free, Collins said.
Once each patient has checked in, they are to wait in the waiting area until their name is called. The clinic has 15 numbered immunization stations, where a immunizer will administer the dose of vaccine.
Patients will then be asked to wait in the waiting area for 15 minutes in case they have any adverse side effects. Medical staff will be on hand to assist anyone who suffers adverse effects from the vaccine.
The whole process should take under half an hour, Collins said.
Northern Health plans to operate more than 30 COVID-19 vaccination clinics across the north. They range in size from the civic centre mass clinic, to small clinics set up in churches, regional medical centres and other locations.
"Just call the booking centre, they'll know where your nearest or two nearest (vaccination) sites are," Collins said.
As of Thursday, a total of 12,047 doses of COVID-19 had been administered in the Northern Health region, according to data released by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
