Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

New approach to COVID-19 shots in Prince Rupert

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Mar, 2021 05:44 PM
  • New approach to COVID-19 shots in Prince Rupert

Health officials say COVID-19 outbreaks remain stubbornly frequent in one northwestern British Columbia city and are prompting a new approach to vaccinations.

Northern Health, the Ministry of Health and the Provincial Health Officer say the entire community of Prince Rupert and nearby Port Edward will be immunized over the next three weeks.

The first clinics for roughly 12,000 Prince Rupert-area residents begin Monday and continue until April 1.

Those eligible can dial a dedicated phone line and appointments will be assigned based on age, with vaccinations for the city's oldest residents starting March 15 and clinics for those aged 18 to 39 begin March 29.

A statement from Northern Health says the community approach is needed because Prince Rupert has high COVID-19 case and positivity rates that have not reflected recent improvements seen elsewhere in the region.

Northern Health is also using the community immunization model on Haida Gwaii, while Island Health says all residents of nearly 30 communities with populations under 4,000 or with accessibility challenges such as the Gulf Islands, will also be vaccinated together in one or two-day clinics.

Island Health says details of those community clinics are still being arranged.

Northern Health chief medical health officer Dr. Jong Kim says offering group immunizations in areas hit hard by the virus is a responsible approach.

“Quickly vaccinating the entire community is a great way to protect everyone in Prince Rupert, and keep them safe,” Kim says in the statement.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. advocates call for urgent drug policy change

B.C. advocates call for urgent drug policy change
Donald MacPherson, director of the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition at Simon Fraser University, introduced the city's drug strategy in the 1990sand the same principles guidethe federal approach.

B.C. advocates call for urgent drug policy change

Macklem: Employment recovery to be protracted

Macklem: Employment recovery to be protracted
Tiff Macklem says making child care more affordable and available across the country would help more women return to the labour force and stay there.

Macklem: Employment recovery to be protracted

Canada-U. S. summit to focus on 'shared vision'

Canada-U. S. summit to focus on 'shared vision'
Experts want Ottawa to push the U.S. hard to exempt Canada from Buy American, Biden's suite of protectionist measures to ensure infrastructure spending prioritizes American businesses.

Canada-U. S. summit to focus on 'shared vision'

8 COVID19 deaths over 3 days

8 COVID19 deaths over 3 days
There are 223 people in hospital with COVID-19. There are 66 people in ICU. There are 4,560 active cases of COVID-19 in BC.

8 COVID19 deaths over 3 days

MPs censure National Firearms Association

MPs censure National Firearms Association
Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs said her party takes threats against politicians "extremely seriously," citing examples of threats she and her staff have received in the past.

MPs censure National Firearms Association

All B.C. students should be wearing masks due to variants: union

All B.C. students should be wearing masks due to variants: union
Variants of concern have been identified in all seven schools and health officials say testing so far indicates it is linked to the one first identified in the United Kingdom.

All B.C. students should be wearing masks due to variants: union