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Fraser Health adds two Tri-City COVID-19 vaccine event clinics while closing one in Coquitlam

Healthcare workers to soon set up at Port Coquitlam Farmers Market and ScotFestBC as the authority is set to transition to a vaccine-distribution 'hub model.'
Kyle Balzer
Kyle Balzer

Eligible Tri-City residents still looking to receive a first or second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to do so at a pair of upcoming special-event clinics in the region that won't require an appointment.

Nurses are planning to set up shop to jab shoulders of those aged 12 years and older at the Port Coquitlam Farmers Market on Aug. 26 and at the ScotFestBC Highland Games on Sept. 4. 

However, with immunizations starting to noticeably wither down across the province, health authorities are also changing strategies to their network of clinics.

For Fraser Health, it's decided to close the mass vaccination clinic at the Poirier Forum in Coquitlam on Sept. 3, 2021.

In a statement to the Tri-City News, spokesperson Curtis Harling explains the organization is switching to a "hub model" in the fall as part of Fraser Health's next phase in COVID-19 response.

"Residents who live in the Tri-Cities area and need their first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will have several options available to them, including other mass immunization clinics and COVID-19 testing and immunization centres," he said, noting the clinic at the Coquitlam Central Station overflow parking lot will remain open under different operating hours.

"Additionally, people can also quickly and efficiently access vaccines at one of Fraser Health’s outreach or neighbourhood clinics, and community initiatives – such as beach-side immunization clinics or mobile bus clinics."

Harling adds dates and times are subject to change, but adding more pop-up and special-event clinics will potentially add more convenient appointments for local residents.

This includes same-day bookings, evenings and weekend, as well as dropping in without an appointment as capacity and supplies allow.

Once closed, the Poirier Forum will have served vaccination efforts in the Tri-Cities for more than five months since it opened March 29.

It served as a larger site with more stations available after a temporary immunization clinic closed at the Douglas College campus in Coquitlam.

The Poirier Forum will still be open for appointments and walk-ins daily from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. until Sept. 3.

SPECIAL EVENT CLINICS

Fraser Health is setting up in Port Coquitlam for the first time since vaccination clinics opened across B.C. with walk-ins for first and second doses set to be available.

The window between jabs is now 28 days, per provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. 

Details are as follows:

A day after Poirier Forum's clinic is scheduled to shut down, nurses will be setting up a station during the Highlands Games in Coquitlam.

Details are as follows:

For more information on COVID-19 vaccine clinics and their locations, you're encouraged to visit Fraser Health's website.

In the latest surveillance data by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the Tri-Cities collectively post a 76% immunization rate among eligible residents who've received two vaccine doses.