Press release
Adult residents living and working in Whistler now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination
Vancouver, BC - Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) invites Whistler adults 18 years of age and older who have not yet been vaccinated, and who have a primary residence in Whistler or who work in the Whistler community, to receive a COVID-19 vaccination starting on Apr. 12, 2021 over a two-week period. This includes the following:
- Eligible Whistler adults between 18 – 54 years of age (born between 1967 – 2003) will receive a vaccination at the Whistler Conference Centre, by appointment only at www.vchcovid19vaccine.com. The link to appointment bookings will open at 1 p.m. today.
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Whistler adults 55 – 65 years of age (born between 1957 – 1966) can receive the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine at a local pharmacy now, by appointment at the B.C. Pharmacy Association scheduling systems. Whistler adults 55 to 65 years of age who prefer to wait to receive a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will be invited to be vaccinated at the Whistler Conference Centre during the week of Apr. 19.
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Whistler adults 65 years of age and older (born in 1956 and earlier) have already been invited to register and book a vaccination through the B.C. Ministry of Health’s age-based cohort system at www.gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated. These vaccinations will begin on Apr. 14 at the Whistler Clinic. Residents who were not able to receive an appointment at this clinic will be eligible for vaccination the week of Apr. 19.
VCH is partnering with the Resort Municipality of Whistler to confirm the eligibility of those who attend clinics for vaccination. Note the following eligibility requirements:
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Eligible residents will be required to provide proof of their permanent resident address in Whistler with a B.C. Driver’s License or valid credit card statement with their Whistler address.
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Eligible adults working in Whistler, who do not reside in the community, will be required to present a recent paystub confirming their local Whistler employment.
All eligible residents are advised to visit www.vch.ca/whistler for further information about how to get vaccinated and for guidance on how to prepare for their vaccination appointment.
VCH is leading this local vaccination program in response to increasing COVID-19 transmission recorded in the Whistler community. From Jan. 1 to Apr. 5, 2021, there were 1,505 confirmed cases of COVID-19 recorded in Whistler. Currently, Howe Sound has the highest rate of COVID-19 of any Local Health Area in the province; the majority of these cases reside in the Whistler community.
VCH has recorded three successive waves of COVID-19 in Whistler throughout the pandemic where the majority of confirmed cases were among adults 20 to 39 years of age. In response to this, in the last two weeks of March, VCH vaccinated a significant percentage of Whistler’s young workforce as part of last month’s provincial plan to immunize workers in high-risk settings, such as congregate and staff housing.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is responsible for the delivery of $4.1 billion in community, hospital and long-term care to more than one million people in communities including Richmond, Vancouver, the North Shore, Sunshine Coast, Sea to Sky corridor, Powell River, Bella Bella and Bella Coola. VCH also provides specialized care and services for people throughout B.C., and is the province's hub of health-care education and research.
Contact
Catherine Loiacono
Director of Public Affairs
Vancouver Coastal Health
