Walk-in Wednesday: No appointments necessary in B.C.'s COVID-19 clinics
British Columbians can get vaccinated for COVID-19 without an appointment Wednesday, as the province marks “Walk-in Wednesday.”
It’s part of a push to get more people inoculated, as case counts climb once again.
As of Tuesday 81.4 per cent of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. had received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 67.3 per cent were fully immunized.
“There's 20 per cent of the population British Columbia eligible to receive a vaccine that has not yet even received a first shot. Among that group, we think that about half of them are individuals that if you make it easy enough for them to get a shot, they will get it,” said Dr. Brian Conway, the medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre.
Walk-in Wednesday is part of the Vax for B.C. campaign.
The drop-in clinics will be offering Pfizer and Moderna, with the goal of delivering 20,000 doses in one day.
This applies to first doses and anyone hoping to get their second, provided they received their first shot before June 16.
It comes as the province records an uptick in infections, particularly in the Interior Health Authority.
People who’ve missed getting a vaccine because of wildfire evacuations are being encouraged to participate.
Health officials say most new cases are among those who aren’t yet vaccinated.
“We’ll never force anyone to get vaccinated against their will. But I think this dialogue has not yet occurred in a meaningful way with that five per cent of really skeptical, hesitant individuals. And that's another approach that will be needed. So it's all of these things together, they'll get us over the finish line,” said Conway.
There will be more walk-in clinics offered in the coming weeks.
The province is moving away from mass vaccination clinics, and toward a more community-based approach.
“We know that for some people maybe they just haven’t gotten around to making an appointment, they are busy, they’re waiting to sort of see,” said Kathy Doull, operations director of the Vaccine Coordination Centre at Fraser Health.
“So we just want to make sure that you are not worried about, 'Can I get in? Will I have to wait in the long lineups?'”
Pop-up clinics will be brought to busy hubs like BC Ferries terminals to make the process more convenient and to make experts available to answer questions around vaccine hesitancy.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's St. John Alexander
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.