BC Health Minister Adrian Dix stated the province is trying to get more people under 50 in the Interior and Northern Health Region’s to get a jab of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The province is holding its Walk-in Wednesday vaccination clinics tomorrow (Wed) where 20-thousand doses will be set aside.
Clinics will be held across the north including PG, Vanderhoof, Burns Lake, and Smithers.
A list of dates and locations can be found here.
Anyone 12 and older is eligible for a first shot while residents are eligible for their second inoculation if they received their first dose before June 16th.
“Everyone is doing really well over the age of 60 (for vaccination rates) and there is not really much difference between regions but there is a significant difference between Metro Vancouver and the Northern and Interior health authorities for those under 50 and we just have to encourage people to get vaccinated.”
“In BC, people between 18 and 24 actually have higher levels of vaccination than people in their 30’s and early 40’s so that is what we are talking about is younger groups and their families as well as those 12 to 17. We see in the Interior and the North lower levels of vaccination in some of those groups and those are groups in society when we are younger we circulate more in the community so we are more vulnerable to the transmission.”
About 70% of Northern Health residents have received their initial jab of a COVID-19 vaccine according to Dix.
Provincially, 81.4% of those 12 and older, and 82.3% of adults in the province have received their first jab.
However, when you take a look at the three urban areas in Prince George, which include the north, city centre, and southwest, the rate of people 12 and over who received the first shot ranges between 73 and 80%.
Dix added there is quite a drop off when taking a look at the number of rural and remote residents who have been partially immunized
“Fort Saint John, which had been rising over the last few weeks is at 59%, Dawson Creek is at 57%, and Vanderhoof is low as well in the 50’s so those are the areas where we need to increase first dose immunization.”
Dix mentioned from June 15th to July 15th only 4% of new COVID-19 cases reported in BC were among those fully inoculated.
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