Booking for Phase 2B vaccine begins in Alberta

Alberta expands vaccine rollout The province is expanding its vaccine rollout to include the largest group of eligible Albertans yet through Phase 2B. Touria Izri reports.

EDMONTON — Nearly a million more Albertans can book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment Tuesday.

The expanded eligibility opens the immunization door to anyone aged 16 to 64 with a condition which makes them more vulnerable to severe outcomes from COVID-19. This includes cancer patients, transplant recipients, or Albertans with dementia or disabilities.

On March 30, those born 1957-63 will be able to make an appointment in a pharmacy in Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary. Appointments will continue to open up by birth year as more vaccine doses become available.

For those wishing to book through Alberta Health Services, appointments will open April 5 to anyone born 1957-59. They can be made online or by calling 811.

A list of the conditions that now make an Albertan eligible can be found online.

As of Friday, the province had administered close to 600,000 doses in total. More than 96,000 Albertans had been fully vaccinated with two shots.

Some pharmacies in Alberta have already begun contacting people they know are eligible to receive their shot to ensure no vaccine dose is wasted.

EDMONTONIAN WITH DIABETES 'RELIEVED' TO RECEIVE THEIR COVID-19 VACCINE

Nisha Patel, who has diabetes, had stopped by her local pharmacy countless times to see if she was eligible for her vaccination.

Finally, Patel got a phone call from her pharmacy asking if she wanted to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

"I just did it without thinking. I was like, 'Yes, of course I would love to get this vaccine,' that I was honestly not expecting for quite a while," she told CTV News Edmonton.

"All my family and friends are happy for me, especially knowing I have a chronic health condition," she added.

Around 945,000 Albertans will be able to book appointments as part of Phase 2B.