Pop-up clinic at PNE aims to make COVID-19 vaccination convenient
People enjoying the summer sun at Playland on Saturday had the opportunity to get a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine with their visit.
Vancouver Coastal Health held its latest pop-up immunization clinic at the Pacific National Exhibition's main entrance from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., during which time officials hoped to administer at least 250 shots to people who dropped in.
"This is the first time that we've had a pop-up clinic at Playland," said Bonnie Wilson, the health authority's operations director for COVID-19 vaccination in Vancouver.
"We've got a great partner in the PNE, so we're really excited to be here today. We want to have clinics in places where a lot of people come. They're having a great time in the summer and we're just sort of pairing that up with being able to get the vaccine."
Wilson said the goal of the clinic - and the others like it that Vancouver Coastal Health has held so far - is to meet people where they are and reduce barriers to immunization. Admission to Playland was not required to access the clinic.
She named technology challenges and busy schedules as some of the barriers that have kept people in Vancouver from getting vaccinated, and said the health authority has received positive feedback about the convenience of past clinics.
"We're planning more of these pop-ups in popular areas where people are going to enjoy summer activities," she said. "We really encourage everybody to come out, get immunized, and enjoy the summer."
Though the pop-up clinics prioritize first doses, anyone who has gone at least seven weeks since their first dose can get a second at the walk-in events.
As of Friday, 80.3 per cent of British Columbians ages 12 and older had received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 58.1 per cent of people in that age group had received a second shot.
In Vancouver's Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood, where the PNE is located, 87 per cent of people 12 and older had received a first dose as of July 22, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control's COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.