Police, firefighters among those eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting Friday

Police, firefighters, provincial sheriffs, corrections officers and Canada Border Services Agency staff will be among those eligible to book appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations starting Friday, as the province moves to complete Phase 2 of its vaccine rollout.

Albertans aged 50 to 64 and First Nations, Métis and Inuit people aged 35 to 49 will also be eligible to book appointments, the province said Thursday in a news release.

With this expansion, more than 2.8 million Albertans will now be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines, the news release said.

"By opening up the rest of Phase 2C, as well as Phase 2D, we are now able to offer vaccines to another half a million Albertans," Premier Jason Kenney said in a statement issued with the news release.

"Every day, we are protecting more vulnerable Albertans. Soon, we will be able to go on to protect all adult Albertans in Phase 3, as long as we receive the vaccine supply we've been promised.

"We will continue to work to give a vaccine to all Albertans who want one."

Starting Friday, appointments through participating pharmacies or Alberta Health Services (AHS) clinics will also be available for:

• Front-line disability workers, workers in group homes, mental health or addiction treatment centres, those who work in group homes or in other types of licensed supportive living.
• Designated family support people for those in long-term care, designated supportive living and licensed supportive living facilities.
• Household contacts and caregivers for those who have profoundly immuno-compromised conditions.
• Parents or guardians of children under 12 who have an eligible chronic condition (Phase 2B) but are unable to receive vaccine due to age.  

All those eligible can book appointments through the AHS online booking tool, 811 or at participating pharmacies.

AHS will contact eligible home-care individuals for their immunizations, or individuals can call 811 to discuss options, the news release said.

Proof of eligibility will be required for immunization of staff at eligible facilities and designated support people. That will include:

• For staff of congregate facilities, proof of employment (such as a letter from their employer).
• For designated family support persons, a letter from the congregate living facility (e.g., group home, specialty schools, etc.) is required.
• An honour system approach will be used for household contacts of profoundly immuno-compromised individuals and children under 12 with high-risk medical conditions.

Details about the rollout of Phase 3 will be released in the coming weeks, the province said.