Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout expands to front-line health-care workers on Monday

The Alberta government announced Saturday that the province’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout is expanding to include front-line health-care workers in Phase 2C.

The province said more than 240,000 eligible health-care workers can start booking vaccine appointments on Monday, April 12.

“As part of Phase 2C of Alberta’s vaccine rollout, nurses, doctors, dentists and any health-care workers in patient care facilities or providing direct patient care in the community will receive the vaccine,” the province said in a news release.

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Premier Jason Kenney called it a “big step forward” in the vaccine rollout, with nearly a quarter of a million health-care workers and associated staff becoming eligible to book their first dose.

“That’s on top of 55,000 hospital staff and paramedics, including staff and doctors in COVID wards, ICUs, emergency and respiratory therapists — roughly half of AHS staff — and 33,000 continuing care staff, around 90 per cent of whom have already received the COVID-19 vaccine, with about 80 per cent in both of those groups having received their second dose,” Kenney said Saturday.

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As of Monday, more than 1.7 million Albertans will now be eligible to book the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the government.

“As always, our focus is on protecting those most at risk of severe outcomes and of stopping the spread,” Kenney said.

“These health-care workers care for Albertans when they are most vulnerable. By vaccinating them now, we’ll help to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to those at highest risk of severe outcomes. This is another important step forward, but it’s just the start.”

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Due to limited vaccine supply, all other groups in Phase 2C will become eligible in the coming weeks, according to the province.

“The greatest limit on our vaccine rollout is the lack of timely, consistent doses,” Kenney said.

“The vaccine supply hasn’t been predictable so we’ve had to delay our plans, many times, which means longer waits for Albertans, but we are forging ahead, using up whatever supplies we get to protect as many Albertans as possible, as fast as we can.”

List breakdown

The following groups of health-care workers over 18 are eligible to book starting April 12:

• physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and all other health-care professionals and their office or support staff who provide in-person, direct patient care
• individuals working in patient care facilities or providing services directly to clients in the community for Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, Alberta Precision Labs, DynaLife and students undertaking placement practicums in clinical areas
• health-care workers on First Nation reserves and Métis settlements

The government said appointments can be booked through participating pharmacies or through Alberta Health Services at 811 or online.