No vaccine appointments available until December? You can either wait, or take a road trip

When Meg Cleavely received a notification from provincial health services that it was time to book her fall flu and COVID-19 vaccines, she tried to set up an appointment right away.

“I’m a teacher in an elementary school, so things can spread pretty quickly in that environment,” the Prince George, B.C., resident said.

“I just want to be able to protect myself, my family and my students.”

But when she logged on to the province’s vaccination booking system on Saturday morning, she was quickly disappointed. While she was able to book a flu vaccine for that afternoon, there were no COVID-19 vaccination slots available until December — and they soon disappeared.

Minutes later there were no slots for either the flu or the COVID-19 vaccine anywhere in the city of Prince George until the first week of December.

“I’ve been checking a couple of times a day,” Cleavely said. “Every once in a while there will be one appointment from a cancellation, but I’ve never actually been able to successfully book it.”

“It’s very frustrating.”

Invitation-based system

While the province is heavily urging British Columbians to get both their flu and COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible, with infections and hospitalizations on the rise, some residents are finding they’re going to be waiting weeks for their shots — particularly the one for COVID.

While influenza vaccines can be distributed on a drop-in basis, depending on the pharmacy, it’s more complicated for COVID-19.

For those shots, invitations are distributed through B.C.’s Get Vaccinated system, which you sign up for online or by calling 1-833-838-2323.

Once registered, you must wait for a phone call, email or text message inviting you to book an appointment.

As with previous doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the province has prioritized people in long-term care, Indigenous people, pregnant individuals, health-care workers, people with chronic health conditions and those over 65 years of age.

The province says as of Oct. 29, B.C. has administered 528,575 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and 740,529 doses of influenza vaccines, with a total of 2.8 million COVID-19 and 2.3 million influenza vaccines ordered for the 2023-24 season.

‘We do ask for your patience’

When Cleavely went to get her flu vaccine, she says there were several people complaining about the lack of COVID-19 vaccination doses available.

“There were people ahead of me who had appointments for the COVID booster who were turned away … they were being told they had run out,” she said. “They didn’t seem very happy.”

A statement from the Ministry of Health said high demand for COVID-19 vaccines is limiting their availability in some locations as appointments are already fully booked through November.

“Pharmacies will continue to post appointments as they receive their additional vaccines, but they are being as careful as possible to not overbook and taking a cautious approach,” the statement reads.

“Everyone who wants a vaccination will be able to get one, but we do ask for your patience due to the high demand and additional COVID vaccines arriving weekly.”

The statement also says the province monitors the supply of vaccines daily in order to distribute them to where they are needed and that people who have been unable to make an appointment are encouraged to check back regularly as new doses become available.

Vaccine roadtrips

Other people say they’re expanding their search area in their hunt for an appointment. While COVID-19 vaccinations are unavailable in Prince George, they are also being distributed in Vanderhoof and Quesnel, two smaller communities about an hour’s drive away.

A pharmacist at Rx Drug Mart I.D.A. in Vanderhoof said he’d seen several people from Prince George who made the 100-kilometre journey to get their shots.

Cleavely said if something doesn’t open up soon, she and a group of friends will probably plan a trip to get immunized.

“I’ve heard from a few people that they haven’t been able to book either, so we’re considering a road trip for the weekend,” she said.