COVID-19 vaccines: Clinics offer 1st-dose 'fast lane' for Lower Mainland construction workers
Multiple clinics are being offered in Metro Vancouver to prioritize COVID-19 vaccines for local construction workers.
Announced Thursday, the clinics will run out of three locations over five days. Anyone working in construction can show up wearing their hard hat to get into a so-called "fast lane." A site access card or other construction ID is also valid.
Appointments aren't required and neither is government ID or a personal health number.
"Our workforce has done a phenomenal job of keeping safe during pandemic, and that after a long day on the jobsite it can be hard to prioritize getting your vaccine scheduled when you get home," said Chris Atchison, president of BC Construction Association, in a news release.
"We want to make it as easy as possible for workers to keep themselves, their families and their sites safe, and are appreciative of the efforts made by the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health to accommodate our essential workforce."
In creating the clinics, officials said they chose times and locations that would be convenient for most construction employees. The later times towards the end of the week hopefully make it easier for workers to get a shot on their way home from site.
The locations were also picked because of how close they were to a high density of workers and sites.
The clinics will run from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on June 24, 25 and 30 and on July 8 and 9 at the following locations:
- Christine Sinclair Community Centre at 3713 Kensington Ave. in Burnaby
- Italian Cultural Centre at 3075 Slocan St. in Vancouver
- Abbotsford Exhibition Park, Building 1 at 32470 Haida Dr. in Abbotsford
"This is a message to our workforce, starting with the sites and employers in Vancouver who have put so much into keeping our industry safe, that getting vaccinated is an important thing to do," said Donna Grant, president of Vancouver Regional Construction Association, in the news release.
"If turnout is good, we'll keep it going and we'll expand."
As of Wednesday, more than 76 per cent of adults in B.C. had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.