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
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.
1 killed, 3 injured including toddler, after Hwy. 417 crash in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.