Although B.C’s immunization program began taking calls for vaccination appointments from community members yesterday (March 8), many British Columbians still have numerous questions.

Questions can range from issues such as the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine to what will happen after receiving the vaccine.

To address some of these issues and have some answers provided, CBC Vancouver is holding Our Shot: Vaccinating B.C. from 7 to 8 p.m. tomorrow (March 10), a free public townhall about the vaccine.

The discussion will be facilitated by Anita Bathe and Stephen Quinn and will feature a panel consisting of:

• B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry;
• B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix;
• First Nations Health Authority acting chief medical officer Dr. Shannon McDonald;
• Fraser Health Authority CEO Dr. Victoria Lee;
• UBC Sauder School of Business professor Mahesh Nagarajan.

The live broadcast will be available on CBC TV, CBC Radio One, and livestreamed on Facebook, CBC Gem, Twitter/Twitter ASL, and cbc.ca/bc.

Questions can be submitted by email.

Prior to the townhall, CBC Vancouver held two virtual discussions about vaccine issues and reaching various communities.

In the first session, CBC Vancouver's Angela Sterritt and Dr. McDonald held a discussion about the cultural and geographical considerations of vaccine distribution in B.C.'s Indigenous communities.

In the second session, CBC Vancouver's Isabelle Raghem and Women's Health Research Institute’s Dr. Gina Ogilvie held a discussion about the vaccine rollout and communication with multicultural communities. 

Full details about the townhall sessions can be found at the CBC website.