Call centres in British Columbia were overwhelmed this morning after they opened to allow people over 90 and Indigenous people over 65 to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

There were 1.7-million calls in less than three hours, though its believed there are only about 82,000 people eligible to book an appointment at this time. There are about 47,000 people over the age of 90 in the province, and about 35,000 Indigenous people over 65, according to Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Dix says he believes people outside of those categories are jamming the lines, as he says about 20,000 people over 90 and about 7,000 to 8,000 Indigenous elders have already been vaccinated.

“That is a massive number of phone calls and if that were to continue, obviously no phone system would respond to that,” he said. “There is an enormous response. It shows the significant support for immunization. We really need this to be a time for those over 90 to book their appointment.”

Dix is urging anyone who is not in those age groups to hang up and wait their turn. He also says there are plenty of appointments left, so if people don’t get through today, he says there is still time to book an appointment.

“This is not the time to call in if you are not calling for someone over the age of 90 or an Indigenous person 65 plus. This is not the time to call in,” Dix said. “We need people to make way and allow those 90 and above, and Indigenous people over the age of 65, to make their reservations.”

B.C. health officials had been asking people not to queue jump, saying people calling out of line – on purpose – will interfere with efforts to get the most frail of residents vaccinated.

“That is an issue that all jurisdictions have faced. We will continue to help people understand why we have segmented the population and why it is important not to phone in and try and convince people that you’re only 44 but you need a vaccine,” Dr. Penny Ballem, the chair of Vancouver Coastal Health who is also in charge of the province’s rollout plan said last week.

Like Dix, Dr. Ballem says people will be able to get vaccinated when their turn comes up.

“Right now, we have to focus now on this particular age group and they are very important to get protected,” she said. “We just need to depend and give all the information to our whole community to organizations that work with seniors and their families and make sure we respect what we’re trying to achieve.”

Interior Health Vaccine Clinics to open next Monday

Health officials say those born in 1936 and earlier can start calling on March 15 and those born in 1941 or earlier can start to schedule their shots on March 22. The phone number is 1-877-740-7747 and it will be open from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., seven days a week.

Interior Health says one of the two Kamloops vaccination clinic locations – at the MacArthur Island Sports Centre – will begin operation next week. A second location at the Tournament Capital Centre will open on March 22.

When you call to book, you’ll have to give your name, date of birth, postal code, personal health number, and current contact information. Once your appointment is booked you will receive a confirmation email, Interior Health said, in a press conference yesterday.

“The focus of this effort will be protecting seniors,” Karen Bloemink, IHA vice-president of pandemic response, said. “We anticipate many callers, especially in the first few days, this is why we are asking people to stick to the schedule and call-in in stages.”

If an eligible senior misses their eligibility period Bloemink said they will not lose their spot in line and can book an appointment any time they want.

You can find a clinic near you on Interior Health’s website.

– With files from The Canadian Press and Colton Davies