B.C. AstraZeneca recipients can choose second dose

British Columbia residents who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to choose if they want to stay with the same shot or take one of the other options.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says those who received the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this year made "the right choice" in getting vaccinated, and helped to ease the COVID-19 caseload in the province.

As COVID-19 cases continue to decrease and our vaccination numbers progress, more sports & activities can start to resume. Right now, low-intensity indoor fitness and outdoor team games are OK. This means you can do things like return to your pilates class, or play a soccer game.

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) June 3, 2021

She says research has shown that it is safe and effective to mix and match the COVID-19 vaccine options.

Vaccines work — and they will help us move through BC's restart and get back to a more normal life. With more people getting vaccinated, our cases have gone down and fewer people are in hospital. Register now and help someone you care about get vaccinated: https://t.co/RDr3YpKmrq pic.twitter.com/fcyGjVyYPS

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) June 3, 2021

Henry also said the province is having issues maintaining a steady supply of the Moderna vaccine, meaning some who received it as a first dose may get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as their second.

Join Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer, for an update on COVID-19. #CovidBC https://t.co/jFnfffMvjy

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) June 3, 2021

B.C. reported 199 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, for a total of 144,866, along with two new deaths.

Henry says 71.8 per cent of the province's eligible adult population has received a first dose of vaccine.