Sunscreen, glasses, towel, vaccine.
Hundreds of Tri-City and Metro Vancouver residents visited Rocky Point Park in Port Moody today (July 17) to take in the beautiful weather by the water, but also to receive a jab of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Fraser Health set up a pop-up immunization clinic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the popular park as nurses delivered doses to eligible residents aged 12 years and older who had not received their first shot.
"We're using this as a unique opportunity to bring the vaccine out to our communities," said authority spokesperson Krystine Juck in an interview at the park with the Tri-City News.
The clinic was set up on the performance stage at the end of the walkway from Rocky Point's east access parking lot.
"We know that Rocky Point is an amazing park in the summer, we know that there's many young families and young adults that come out here and we really wanted to try to provide an easily accessible opportunity for people to get vaccinated."
Juck said Fraser Health was hoping to administer 300 doses by the end of the six-hour pop-up and explained workers saw a steady flow from the start.
She explained those who were looking for a second dose were placed on a virtual waitlist until they received a text notifying them to come back if enough vaccines were leftover.
"They have to be eligible in terms of they have to have received their notification already to book their second dose; everybody is receiving that at seven weeks."
This is the latest of many impromptu vaccination clinics Fraser Health had planned in recent weeks.
Port Moody-Anmore-Belcarra, however, has one of the highest immunization rates - at 84% - compared to other local health areas monitored by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).
"We've been to many other parks. We've been to Crescent Beach, we've been to Cultus Lake and we wanted to have the opportunity to be at another park within Fraser Health and we thought this was a great place to be," said Juck when asked about the location choice.
"There's so many people that congregate here in the summer and just thought this would be a great opportunity to bring community support to the Tri-Cities area."
She added the Rocky Point pop-up received lots of positive feedback, with one woman thanking a nurse for setting up the immunization station as she had a hard time booking an appointment due to her busy schedule.
The clinic was a joint effort between Fraser Health and the city of Port Moody.
If you live in Fraser Health and still haven't received a first COVID-19 vaccine dose, the authority is hosting another pop-up clinic tomorrow (July 18) at the Downtown Chilliwack Community Market between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
DO YOU STILL NEED A FIRST VACCINE DOSE?
Coquitlam's two COVID-19 vaccine clinics are still accepting walk-ins for eligible residents 12 years and older who haven't received their first jab.
The locations are as follows:
- Coquitlam Central Station Park and Ride overflow lot (2900 Barnet Hwy.)
- 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Entrance off Mariner Way – east side of Rona. Proceed down the ramp and turn right
- The address will direct you to the main lot on the left but COVID-19 Services are located in the overflow lot to the right
- Do not cut through the Rona parking lot. Please follow the signs
- Poirier Forum (618 Poirier St.)
- 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHEN CAN I GET MY SECOND DOSE?
Those who've registered through the B.C.'s GetVaccinated portal for their first vaccine will receive a notification — by the method you selected during the initial registration — when they can book an appointment to receive their second jab.
Fraser Health says if you booked your first dose through the authority's website or your local pharmacy, you're asked to register with the provincial system.
