Nova Scotia bumps up second doses for last cohort; adds walk-in appointments for 55 and older

HALIFAX -

Any Nova Scotian who received their first dose of vaccine on or before Tuesday is now eligible to reschedule their second dose to an earlier date.

Nova Scotians who received their first shot on or before July 6 will receive an email to schedule their second dose in the coming days.

Second doses can be scheduled 28 days after the first.

This is the last group of people who will receive an email to schedule or reschedule their second-dose appointment.

Anyone who gets their first dose beginning Wednesday will automatically receive an email to schedule their second dose afterward.

Second dose rescheduling notices are sent to the email address provided at the time of booking the first dose.

Anyone who did not provide an email or does not receive a notice can call the toll-free line at 1-833-797-7772 to schedule or to request an email address be added and the notice issued.

Drive-thru clinics in Dartmouth, Truro, New Glasgow and Wolfville can now accommodate up to four people in one vehicle.

At the time of booking, one to four people can be scheduled for one appointment time.

First dose COVID-19 vaccination appointments must be made online at or by phone at 1-833-797-7772.

SECOND DOSE WALK-INS OPEN FOR 55 AND OLDER IN HALIFAX 

The province also announced Wednesday that anyone 55 and older can now receive a second dose vaccine at the Halifax Convention Centre Clinic without an appointment.

Public health says there are 400 doses of the Moderna vaccine available for walk-ins at the Halifax Convention Centre Vaccine Clinic Wednesday. First dose vaccines are available for those 18 and older and second dose is available for those 55 and older.

VACCINE ROLLOUT CONTINUES

Nova Scotia is expecting 140,000 shots will go into arms this week across the province, while another 180,000 will be administered next week.

"We're really impressed with how the rollout has gone,” said Chris Parsons with the Nova Scotia Health Coalition.

“Honestly, the province said to trust them, didn't always do so, but I think that in this case, Public Health did a fantastic job rolling it out."

As of Wednesday, 500,000 of the shots administered in Nova Scotia have been given at pharmacies.

"Our pharmacies have been working non-stop since March doing this and we'll continue to do this until there are no arms left,” said Allison Bodnar, CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia.

There are 295 pharmacies across the province that are now administering the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Our goal is to use every drop, not to waste a thing,” said Bodnar.

“If there's extra vaccine at the end of the night, pharmacists and pharmacy team members are picking up the phone and looking for people to make sure that every dose gets in an arm."

Although pleased with how the rollout is going, Parsons would like to see flexibility and resources in the plan to reach those who haven’t gotten the vaccine yet.

"There’s actually a wide variety of reasons why people don’t get the dose. Some of them are people who don't want to, but there's also lots of people who may face language barriers, who may face barriers due to their migration status, who may not be able to get the time off work, who may live in areas that are isolated and unable to get it so," said Parsons.

"What we really need is flexibility and to partner, really, with people in those communities to deliver vaccines."