LETHBRIDGE, AB – More and more pharmacies across Alberta will be starting to give out COVID-19 vaccines.
In Lethbridge, the Medicine Shoppe on 20th Street South by the hospital is the first pharmacy in the city to start inoculations next week.
Pharmacist owner Vishal Sukhadiya says to start, this will be open to seniors 65 and over the week of March 15th. “When they come in, they need to bring their Alberta Health Card and photo I.D. just to make sure we aren’t inadvertently giving out or scaling down the doses.”
Sukhadiya says people in that 65 and over age group can call the pharmacy or go online to their Facebook page to book their COVID vaccinations.
The pharmacy has been told it will be able to provide at least 300 doses of COVID-19 vaccine per week to begin with.
To start with this program, Alberta Health has chosen pharmacies which have had a history of handling a large number of vaccinations during flu shot season. More pharmacies will be added to the program in the days and weeks ahead.
Sukhadiya expects with the way things are going with vaccine shipments coming into the province, the 65 plus age group will be entirely vaccinated within the next two weeks. He expects additional age groups will open up quickly after that.
The Alberta government has said if current vaccine supply continues as promised by Ottawa, every adult Albertan should have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June.