BC makes COVID-19 vaccine push with 'Walk in Wednesday' - Kelowna News - Castanet.net

The provincial government is making a big push Wednesday on COVID-19 vaccinations across B.C.

While Interior Health vaccine clinics have been offering drop-in service for a few weeks now, another 20,000 doses are being set aside for a B.C.-wide "Walk in Wednesday."

Throughout B.C., anyone can drop into a clinic today and receive their first or second doses.

Minister of Health in B.C., Adrian Dix, says this push is especially important for the Kelowna area where cases are on the rise.

“This is a critical point because the majority of people who are dealing with COVID-19, and who have had COVID-19 transmitted to them in B.C. are unvaccinated, so we’ve got to reduce those numbers in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 into the future,” said Dix.

He also said that as of right now, the province is 81.4 per cent vaccinated with at least one dose.

Dix said traveling will become increasingly challenging for anyone who continues to refuse the vaccine. “No one is going to be able to travel outside of Canada, I mean nobody. Whether they want to go to Bellingham, Spokane, or Belgium, you’re not going to be able to travel outside of Canada unless you’re vaccinated."

Some provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba created lotteries to encourage vaccine uptake.

But Dix said having the vaccine is privilege enough, because it allows you to get back to a more normal life.

“I think the vaccine itself is a gift. These are the safest, most effective vaccines that we’ve ever seen,” he said.

“I think people will want to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families, as well as their communities, and be able to travel.”

Dix says they are reaching out to younger people in the Central Okanagan, who have been slower to get the vaccine.

“We’re in the high 50’s and low 60’s (per cent) for some younger aged demographics in the Central Okanagan. With unvaccinated people socializing together at the time of the Delta variant, that poses a significant risk to those people, so we need to try and target more people to get the shot."

Interior Health also announced this week the drop-in vaccine clinic at the Kelowna Yacht Club has been extended until Monday, August 9.

For anyone looking to gather more information on the vaccine, you can head over to Interior Health’s website here.

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2021-08-04 19:41:00Z
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