The B.C. government is putting hundreds of furloughed employees from the hard-hit tourism and hospitality sectors back to work through its immunization program.
Premier John Horgan announced Wednesday that some 1,400 workers are being placed in non-clinical positions at the province's vaccination centres, helping with B.C.'s recently accelerated immunization rollout.
Horgan thanked the furloughed employees for their participation, and acknowledged the crucial contributions of hundreds of volunteers who have also joined the mass vaccination efforts in their communities.
"I am so proud of the work that everyone across the province has been doing to get out of the situation we've been in for the last 12 months," he said.
"All of us are tired of this. But we are not out of the woods yet, we have several more miles to go before we rest."
There are 14 businesses and organizations partnering on the project, including everyone from Air Canada to the Vancouver Canucks to Tourism Whistler, Horgan said.
There have been a number of hopeful developments in B.C.'s vaccination program in recent weeks, including the arrival of AstraZeneca vaccine doses that are being used to protect front-line workers.
Increased shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have also allowed the province to speed up the timeline for its age-based immunization program, with a goal of vaccinating every eligible adult before July.
Horgan said the cohort of B.C. residents aged 65-69 will be able to book a vaccine appointment by the end of the first week of April.
He also pointed to the recent mass immunization effort in Prince Rupert as an example for the province. Health officials decided earlier this month to offer vaccine to every resident as the small community of about 10,000 grappled with an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases.
Horgan said about 85 per cent of people have now received a dose of vaccine.
"There's euphoria in the town that has been in dread, quite frankly, over the past number of weeks," he said.
The furloughed workers who are being stationed in immunization clinics will be doing things like welcoming guests and managing the flow of patients, according to Dr. Penny Ballem, the head of B.C.'s vaccine rollout.
Some of the other companies taking part include WestJet, Vancouver International Airport, the Vancouver Giants, the Fraser Valley Bandits and the Pacific National Exhibition.
"These are companies that have suffered significantly in the last year of this pandemic (with) many, many workers laid off and unable to do their jobs," she said. "We are just extremely grateful to have them stepping forward and bringing their incredible skills."