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
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
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
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.