Nova Scotia administers one-millionth COVID-19 vaccine, moves up eligibility

HALIFAX -

Nova Scotia hit a major vaccine milestone by delivering the province’s one-millionth dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.

N.S. Premier Iain Rankin toured the IWK hospital's vaccination clinic Monday, where the one-millionth vaccine was administered on Sunday.

"That's huge and it's something for us all to be proud of," Rankin said Monday curing a COVID-19 update.

MORE SECOND DOSES MOVED UP

Nova Scotians who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on or before June 15 are now eligible to book an appointment to receive their second dose earlier than originally scheduled.

In a news release Monday, the province announced that effective immediately, anyone who received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on or before June 15 can now reschedule their appointment to receive their second dose at an earlier date.

Public health says recipients will receive an email to the account provided at the time of booking.

Anyone who did not provide an email must call the toll-free line at 1-833-797-7772 to reschedule or to request an email address be added.

When rescheduling the second dose, people will select a new date and time at any clinic across the province that has an available appointment.

The province says notices will continue to be sent over the following weeks as vaccine supply is received.

Health officials also say the drive-thru vaccine clinics in Dartmouth, Truro and Wolfville can now accommodate up to four people in one vehicle. At the time of booking you can schedule a maximum four people for one appointment time.

The province also says they have updated the Nova Scotia immunization record to include the Province of Nova Scotia logo. Anyone who received a hard copy or printed their record on or before June 30 should request a new copy or reprint a copy using the new format.

The province's COVID-19 online dashboard provides an update on the number of vaccines that have been administered to date – however, that number isn’t updated on the weekends.

As of Friday, 961,653 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, with approximately 72.9 per cent of the province's overall population having received at least one dose. Of those, 253,331 Nova Scotians have received their second dose.

The province says it has received a total of 1,081,070 doses of COVID-19 vaccine since Dec. 15.

During Monday's news conference, Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, said public health staff and pharmacies would be administering 140,000 doses this week and 180,000 doses next week.

All Nova Scotians are encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible. COVID-19 vaccination appointments can be made online or by phone at 1-833-797-7772.