Prince George requires a shot in the arm to boost its COVID-19 immunization rate and today’s Rooftop Rocks event at CN Centre parking lot is just the ticket.
Three immunizers are now staffing an immunization clinic in portable trailers set up on the site and until 7 p.m., anybody 12-and-older can drop by without an appointment to receive their first or second doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
A health care identification card is all that needed. People receiving second doses can bring their first-dose information records to speed the process.
“The ongoing effort across the province to have more mobile pop-up clinics in places you might not necessarily expect makes it really convenient to get your immunizations,” said Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins. “If that’s been the barrier for anyone or what’s been holding them back, it’s that it’s not been convenient enough for them, and this is meant to address that. From what I’ve seen at the moment, it’s working. It’s steady.”
The Northern Health clinic at Rooftop Rocks has a wall of gratitude for people to leave messages to frontline healthcare workers in their efforts to fight the pandemic. Collins and their Northern Health staff are there to answer any questions about the provincial vaccination program.
Collins said more than 400 people visited Northern Health no-appointment-required clinic on Wednesday at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre – part of a province-wide initiative to boost vaccination rates in B.C.
Saturday's Rooftop Rock event had musicians and comedians performing live on a flatbed trailer playing live from flatbed trailers instead of a smaller rooftop at Exhibition Park. Food truck operators were among the 75 vendors. The event included a classic car show, big-rig truck show, the BC Railway Museum Mini-Train, facepainting, and other entertainment.
Immunization clinics at the Civic Centre are scheduled this week for people 12 -and-older from 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., from Tuesday-Saturday. A limited number of drop-in appointments will be available for those seeking first doses and for second doses, provided they are past the eight-week interval recommended between doses.
”Appointments are recommended, it just helps them plan out at the clinic how many people they should be expecting and how much vaccine they’ll have prepared for the course of the day,” said Collins.
According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, as of Tuesday, 58 per cent of the population of Prince George has had its second dose of COVID-19 vaccine (up from 53 per cent on July 27), while 74 per cent had their first doses (up from 73 per cent.
Of the 15 Northern Health centres included in the BCCDC survey, Prince George had the seventh-highest second-dose rate, while its first-dose rate was eighth out of 15.
Haida Gwaii (72 per cent), Kitimat (71 per cent), Nisga’a (67 per cent) and Prince Rupert (67 per cent) have the highest second-dose rates in the Northern Health region. Peace River North (41 per cent), Peace River South (42 per cent), Nechako (50 per cent) and Quesnel (52 per cent) are the least vaccinated Northern Health areas for second doses.
The Northern Health first-dose rates varied from 53 per cent, in Peace River North and Peace River South, to 87 per cent, in Kitimat.
Other second-dose rates in the Aug. 3 BCCDC survey were: Surrey/White Rock (75 per cent), Vancouver City Centre (73 per cent) Revelstoke (72 per cent), Greater Nanaimo (69 per cent), Greater Victoria (68 per cent) and Central Okanagan (63 per cent).
As of Thursday, vaccination rates in the two Peace River centres are lower than in the state of Florida (59.4 per cent for first doses, 44.3 per cent for second doses), where current COVID-19 outbreaks are filling hospitals beyond capacity.
The Nechako region west of Prince George, with a rate of 22 new cases per 100,000 people, had the highest COVID-19 infection rate in Northern Health in the week leading up to Aug. 3. There were no infections confirmed in the previous week. Burns Lake had seven new infections from July 28-Aug. 3.
The infection rate also increased in Prince George to four new cases per 100,000 on Aug, 3, up from one new case the previous week. Central Okanagan, with 44 new cases per 100,000 people, led the province.
