VICTORIA -- More than 500,000 people have now received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the Vancouver Island region, according to Island Health.
The milestone was surpassed on May 27, with roughly 65 per cent of the region's 12+ population now protected with one dose of vaccine.
In total, 506,251 people living in the health authority have receive their first dose, while 29,773 have received their second as of Thursday.
Immunizations first began in December, when Island Health focused vaccinations on health-care workers and seniors living in long-term care or assisted living facilities.
Now, Island Health says it is booking and administering vaccines with "increasing speed."
"As the number of people we vaccinate continues to rise, the level of protection against this virus grows daily," said Island Health chief medical health officer Dr. Richard Stanwick in a release Friday.
"Our teams and partners are working hard to get vaccine doses into arms and we should all feel optimistic about how setting this historic record is helping in our fight against COVID-19," he said.
Vaccine appointments can now be booked for all B.C. adults and youth aged 12 and older. Residents can register for a vaccine appointment online here or by calling the provincial call centre at 1-833-838-2323.
Earlier this week, B.C. health officials laid out the province's four-step reopening plan. Crucial to those plans are vaccination rates across the province.
"This is a really important milestone for us, but we’re not done yet," said Stanwick.
"We all have a part to play and every dose administered gets us closer to controlling the spread of this virus," he said.
