British Columbia is marking another milestone in its COVID-19 vaccine rollout: As of 7 p.m. Sunday, everyone aged 18 and over will be eligible to book their jab.
Anyone looking to book will need to register with the province.
This comes as efforts also ramp up to increase the pace of vaccinations in key COVID-19 hotspots.
In Surrey, where vaccination rates have lagged in some neighbourhoods, the city and province are partnering to host four walk-in clinics offering Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
The community clinics will be open to anyone aged 18 and older who is a Surrey resident, and are intended to boost the speed of the vaccine rollout already underway through booked appointments and at gurdwaras and mosques.
In order to avoid the long lines and confusion associated with some previous walk-in clinic efforts in the Fraser Health region, the first 1,000 people to arrive at each site will get a wristband guaranteeing them a dose.
We're partnering with @BCGovNews and @Fraserhealth to bring COVID-19 neighbourhood vaccine clinics to Bear Creek Park on May 17 &18 and Surrey Sport & Leisure on May 22 & 23.
Registration will open at 7am. See details at : https://t.co/UQbvNSf7Af pic.twitter.com/2q542vGrmY
— City of Surrey (@CityofSurrey) May 16, 2021
“These neighbourhood clinics play an important role in our strategy to immunize as many people as quickly as possible,” Fraser Health president and CEO Dr. Victoria Lee said in a media release.
“It will protect our health system, keep your business open and help us get to community immunity.”
Clinics will be checking identification to ensure attendees are Surrey residents. Staff will also be on site to help people register and book an appointment at other clinics, if necessary.
Read more:
COVID-19: B.C. reports fewer than 500 new cases for 1st time since mid-March
As of Friday, more than 2.26 million British Columbians — more than 44 per cent of B.C.’s population — had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
This week, officials are expected to announce details of a plan to vaccinate the province’s 12- to 17-year-olds.
