Thought of the Day - May 27 2021 - We Fixed "The Glitch"

Guess this is a bit of a theme this week as we started off the week talking about cheques in Japan ( Thought of the Day - May 24 2021 - The Ripple Effect ). Also this week some folk in B.C. were able to book their second shot before they were supposed to due to a "computer glitch". Most shots being given out at vaccine clinics in the province are first doses, but over the long weekend, some residents in B.C. were able to book a second jab – long before the four-month interval.

Like most that were vaccinated at "drug stores" I received the note basically saying, make sure you register with the province as although we booked you for a second shot in sixteen weeks we have no idea if and when this will happen, and if it does whether we will be involved at all. Although there was a Federal appeal to use up the current AZ supply before it expires, the BC Vaccine Information site now simply says as of May 12th: "the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine pharmacy program is paused".

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. According to BC health officials, as the system was being re-programmed, a number of second-dose invitations were mistakenly sent out early. People who received them then told friends and family, and some people who didn't get an invitation phoned the vaccine line and found they too could book their next shot.

"We are honouring those appointments that people already made, but we will be sending out appointments in a structured way starting later this week," provincial health officer Bonnie Henry said Tuesday. "And I will have more details on how that's all going to work for people on Thursday."

Today's update was that British Columbians will now get their second vaccine dose within eight weeks, half the time planned in March, when vaccine supply was low. “We now have sufficient confirmed deliveries of vaccine in our age-based program — that’s the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — that we can move up the interval,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said today. There was no update concerning AstraZeneca other than last week's mention that B.C. residents who had AstraZeneca for their first COVID-19 vaccine dose will have a choice for their second.

The registration website ( https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine/register ) was also updated today.

Cheers

Cliff