As of April 12, 2021, the Government of Alberta announced that healthcare workers and support staff who have in-person contact with patients and/or clients are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the Phase 2C rollout. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who provide in-person, direct patient care are eligible to be vaccinated. Additionally, pharmacy employees (e.g., unregulated pharmacy assistants) who support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and have in-person contact with patients and/or clients are eligible to be vaccinated.
Please note the following message from Alberta Health:
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It’s important that in your role as a healthcare worker that you are immunized. A worker in your role is at increased risk of being exposed to COVID-19 and spreading it to others as your work-related duties must be performed on site and involve being in close contact (within six feet for a cumulative total of 15 minutes in a 24-hour period) with the public, coworkers, or clients.
All eligible workers are encouraged to book their appointments as soon as possible.
Some healthcare workers will have questions about which vaccine they will receive. All healthcare workers in this phase are eligible for Moderna or Pfizer. Like all Albertans, healthcare workers between the ages of 55-64, also have the option to book an appointment for AstraZeneca.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is only offering the AstraZeneca vaccine at the Telus Convention Centre in Calgary or the Edmonton Expo Centre. All other AHS sites are offering Pfizer or Moderna.
Information regarding which pharmacies are offering AstraZeneca, Moderna, or Pfizer, is available on the Alberta Blue Cross website.
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At the time of your vaccine appointment with AHS, a community pharmacy, or a physician’s office, you will need to provide
- Personal identification that contains a birth date. Acceptable forms of personal identification include your Alberta Health Care card, driver’s licence, or passport (this is required at all immunization appointments for any Albertan). AND
- ONE of the following:
- current ACP practice permit (hard copy or digital copy accessed online or photographed and displayed on your smart phone); or
- employee ID that can be confirmed as current.
For pharmacy team members who are unable to present either form of identification (i.e., unregulated pharmacy assistants), they may also present a letter from their employer. Licensees and/or proprietor’s agents may use a letter template provided by Alberta Health and is available on the COVID-19 updates for pharmacy professionals page on the ACP website.
About the template:
- The template is purposefully generic to accommodate all of the occupational groups which require proof of eligibility.
- It can be modified to suit an organization’s need (e.g., letterhead) but should clearly identify the organization, the employee’s name and job, and be signed by the employer.
- It can be used for both employees and students who are currently in practicum placements. Students not in placements are not eligible for COVID-19 vaccination at this time. They will be eligible when they are entering into a placement, or through a future phase of the COVID-19 Immunization Program.
For more information on the COVID-19 Immunization Program, please refer to the following:
- information sheet provided by Alberta Health,
- Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine webpage, and
- Q & A for healthcare workers.
