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
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.
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.
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.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
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.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
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.
'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.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.