VICTORIA -- B.C.’s provincial health officer received her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Vancouver Island Tuesday.
Dr. Bonnie Henry was among the first health-care workers in the Island Health region to receive an immunization.
"It wasn’t painful at all," she said when asked. "Physically, I barely felt a thing at all. But mentally, this is so important and I’m so grateful for the team here."
"It’s really my way of showing how confident we are in the vaccine and how important it is for all of us to be immunized in solidarity with (health-care workers)," she added.
The very first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in the Island Health region went to a long-term care worker in the health authority.
The health-care worker, Dena Scriven, said she was glad the vaccine is being used to help protect everyone in the long-term care system.
"It feels really good," she said. "I have family in long-term care as well so to be extra protected, it’s going to feel good."
Henry added that she was confident in the vaccine and encouraged British Columbians to get the immunization in the months to come.
"There is a lot of work that’s been done to make sure that this vaccine works and that it’s safe," said Henry. "I have full confidence that it is both of those things."
On Monday, the province announced that every health authority in B.C. had received a shipment of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Already, more than 3,600 health-care workers in the Lower Mainland have received immunizations after doses arrived there last week.
