Some Albertans can begin to book their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Tuesday, Premier Jason Kenney announced.
People vaccinated in March can book their second dose appointment starting this afternoon. Albertans who got their first dose in April can start booking on June 14 and people vaccinated in May can do so on June 28.
“This is the start of opening Alberta for summer and getting Alberta back to normal,” said Kenney.
Bookings for second doses will not be first come, first served; they will be sequenced in the order first doses were administered, the premier said.
“To ensure that everybody receives them at significantly less than the maximum 16-week interval,” said Kenney.
He added people who have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine should have their second dose by the end of the summer.
“We’ll continue to prioritize first doses for anybody who wants to be vaccinated,” said Kenney.
The province has administered 2,413,959 first doses — 63.4 per cent of Albertans. Kenney added that 10.4 per cent of Albertans have been fully vaccinated.
“Going forward, we expect to be able to shorten the window between first and second doses even further for those who are still booking their first shot,” said Health Minister Tyler Shandro. “As long as the supply allows, the interval for Pfizer and Moderna… will be lowered over time to a minimum of three to four weeks.”
Shandro asked Albertans to wait their turn when it comes to booking second doses, as booking before you are eligible can “cause delays” for AHS and pharmacies. He added timelines could be moved up if the vaccine rollout goes quicker than expected.
Alberta also reported 209 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. There are now 6,771 active cases and 438 Albertans in hospital, including 127 patients in ICU.
The province also said there had been one new death due to COVID-19 since Monday.
