79-year-old Janet Spencer from Grande Prairie receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination appointments for seniors aged 75 and older were offered starting this morning. Photo Credit: Alberta Health Services.

By Shane Clausing

COVID-19 vaccinations

Vaccines for seniors 75+ administered in Grande Prairie as appointment system sees issues

Feb 24, 2021 | 5:34 PM

As of 8 a.m. February 24, all seniors in Alberta aged 75 or older are able to book appointments to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

By Wednesday afternoon, many seniors across the province were already in line to get their shot.

Janet Spencer, a 79-year-old from Grande Prairie was one of the first seniors 75 and older in the city to get her shot, she said she is excited to receive the vaccine.

“I have a granddaughter getting married this summer and I hope to be able to attend the wedding.”

Spencer could be considered very lucky to have already been able to get her shot today.

For many Albertans across the province, the Alberta Health Services website and phone lines crashed, leaving many seniors without an appointment.

Health Minister for the province, Tyler Shandro, says he understands many people’s frustration.

“Vaccines are our ticket out of the pandemic, out of the anxiety, out of the stress.,” said Shandro. “Any delay booking an appointment is yet another difficulty and another frustration for folks. So I’m disappointed, but the fact is it’s going to take time to reach everyone.”

Shandro says AHS will catch up quickly and now are able to handle up to 5,000 bookings per hour.

“We won’t get to everybody right on the very first day, but we will get to all of you.”

About 12,000 appointments had been booked as of noon on Wednesday.

The capacity of vaccine appointments will also be expanded in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer, as Minister Shandro announced today that those cities will offer vaccination appointments at pharmacies next week. The cities were chosen because of their geography and population size, but Shandro says Albertans not near those cities don’t have to panic.

“I want to reassure those eligible Albertans not in or near one of these centres that they will still be able to receive their doses in the same time frame close to home through AHS,” he said.

The program will be expanded as soon as supply and processes are in place and it will eventually include community physicians and what Shandro called large “rapid-flow through” immunization clinics.

With files from Chris Brown CHAT News Today