BC health officials want more people rolling up their sleeves for the COVID-19 shot, and say they will be increasing efforts in the coming weeks to do just that..Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix, and Dr. Penny Ballem addressed BC’s vaccine roll-out plan during a Tuesday morning news conference..Among their announced efforts are “walk-in Wednesday” which will take place August 4 when 20,000 jabs will be made available with no need to book in advance..Walk-in Wednesday is part of the “Vax for BC” campaign..“I’d like to begin by thanking each and every one of the millions of British Columbian’s, like me, who have stepped up to be vaccinated,” said Henry..“Because of this small act, we have been able to re-open our province..“While we have made tremendous progress with our immunization plan, there is of course more work to do. We know that some people still struggle to find a convenient time in their day to get immunized, and others may still have questions, and be hesitant about the vaccine..“So starting today, we are making it even easier for people to get vaccines. To help protect themselves, and their loved ones against COVID-19.”.Henry said the province will be introducing “custom vax vans” so people will be able to get vaccinated on their lunch break or “while cooling off at a lake.”.The province is also reducing the wait time between first and second doses from eight weeks to seven weeks..There are currently 906,772 eligible people who have not received a dose, roughly 19.6% of the population older than 12, according to data from July 23..Interior health has an un-vaccinated population of 26.2% while Northern health has 32.5% without a first shot..On Monday, the Surrey Board of Trade wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Health Minister of Canada Patty Hajdu, BC Premier John Horgan, and Minister of Health Adrian Dix urging them to “implement a proof-of-immunization model.”.“We support a centralized, Canada-wide approach to COVID-19 proof-of immunization that could be easily used to confirm vaccination status for international and domestic use,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade..“Without inter-provincial harmonization, Canada risks a piecemeal approach, making life more difficult and unpredictable for individuals and employers during an already uncertain time.”.Last week, YVR airport implemented separate lines for vaccinated and un-vaccinated individuals prior to reaching customs..The separation of lines – which was put in place as a federal policy – has since been removed following extensive public push-back..As for enforcing proof-of-immunization policies at concerts, night clubs, and sporting events – an increasing number of British Columbian’s are cozying up to this idea..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
BC health officials want more people rolling up their sleeves for the COVID-19 shot, and say they will be increasing efforts in the coming weeks to do just that..Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix, and Dr. Penny Ballem addressed BC’s vaccine roll-out plan during a Tuesday morning news conference..Among their announced efforts are “walk-in Wednesday” which will take place August 4 when 20,000 jabs will be made available with no need to book in advance..Walk-in Wednesday is part of the “Vax for BC” campaign..“I’d like to begin by thanking each and every one of the millions of British Columbian’s, like me, who have stepped up to be vaccinated,” said Henry..“Because of this small act, we have been able to re-open our province..“While we have made tremendous progress with our immunization plan, there is of course more work to do. We know that some people still struggle to find a convenient time in their day to get immunized, and others may still have questions, and be hesitant about the vaccine..“So starting today, we are making it even easier for people to get vaccines. To help protect themselves, and their loved ones against COVID-19.”.Henry said the province will be introducing “custom vax vans” so people will be able to get vaccinated on their lunch break or “while cooling off at a lake.”.The province is also reducing the wait time between first and second doses from eight weeks to seven weeks..There are currently 906,772 eligible people who have not received a dose, roughly 19.6% of the population older than 12, according to data from July 23..Interior health has an un-vaccinated population of 26.2% while Northern health has 32.5% without a first shot..On Monday, the Surrey Board of Trade wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Health Minister of Canada Patty Hajdu, BC Premier John Horgan, and Minister of Health Adrian Dix urging them to “implement a proof-of-immunization model.”.“We support a centralized, Canada-wide approach to COVID-19 proof-of immunization that could be easily used to confirm vaccination status for international and domestic use,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade..“Without inter-provincial harmonization, Canada risks a piecemeal approach, making life more difficult and unpredictable for individuals and employers during an already uncertain time.”.Last week, YVR airport implemented separate lines for vaccinated and un-vaccinated individuals prior to reaching customs..The separation of lines – which was put in place as a federal policy – has since been removed following extensive public push-back..As for enforcing proof-of-immunization policies at concerts, night clubs, and sporting events – an increasing number of British Columbian’s are cozying up to this idea..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.rsmall@westernstandardonline.com
