Port Coquitlam mayor rolls up his sleeve for shot, calls on other young adults to do the same

Port Coquitlam's mayor is urging young people to get their shots as age eligibility for booking dropped to 18 yesterday.

The city has been declared a high-transmission area for COVID-19 and Brad West said he was told by top health officials young adults 18 and older (born 2003 or later) in COVID-19 hot spots are now able to book their shots.

“We need to continue to be focused and to get people in our city vaccinated and we need to get everybody in B.C. vaccinated,” West told the Tri-City News, pointing out that without high rates of vaccination those pre-COVID-19 fun events we used to enjoy, such as festivals, concerts and hockey games, will stay out of reach.

Last Friday, the 35-year-old mayor found out on Instagram that his age group was eligible for a shot because he lived in a high-transmission area.

And when he called the booking number, he was told shots were available that day at a Fraser Health vaccine clinic in Guildford in Surrey.

West said he didn't hesitate to take the booking so he could be vaccinated quickly. It took him about 10 minutes to get to the clinic over the Port Mann bridge for his jab.

The drive was “a small price to pay to get vaccinated,” West said.

However, he acknowledged that people don’t always have access to a vehicle or the time to leave their community for a shot and that clinics close to home — even in shopping malls — might be a good idea to get more people vaccinated more quickly.

“I have and continue to request that Fraser Health open a mass vaccination clinic in PoCo. Obviously, the closer to the community the better.”

MASS VACCINATION CLINIC SOUGHT FOR PORT COQUITLAM

West said he was surprised and "alarmed" to find out that Port Coquitlam was a high-transmission area and tried to find out more by talking to Fraser Health officials.

Upon getting the news, West said he got on the phone to Fraser Health CEO Dr. Victoria Lee to find out what the city could do to ensure residents are safe.

“My immediate focus is, 'OK, we’re not going to sit around wringing our hands about this. We’ve got to figure out how to keep our city safe, and what can we do.'”

Even though he’s the mayor of the second-largest city in the Tri-Cities, West wasn’t given any warning that Port Coquitlam was becoming a hot zone for COVID-19 but found out from a health bulletin by Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“Of course, I was alarmed and concerned because you don’t want to be a high-transmission area,” West told the Tri-City News.

West said he doesn’t have access to community level data — information that Dr. Henry said will be made available this week — but was assured by Port Coquitlam MLA and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth that PoCo has one of the highest vaccination rates in Metro Vancouver since residents were prioritized for a shot.

OFFICIALS NEED TO 'GET CREATIVE' TO MAKE IT EASY FOR RESIDENTS TO GET VACCINATED

However, he's concerned about a minority that may need more support to get a shot and he has offered to provide city facilities to Fraser Health for a mass vaccination COVID-19 clinic for free.

But, so far, he's been rebuffed.

West said he expects more clinics will open up as B.C acquires millions more Pfizer and Modern doses in the coming weeks, more age groups are added and second doses are required.

Currently, people aged 40 and older outside of COVID-19 hot zones are being asked to book their shots through B.C.’s age-based system.

West said he was pleased to see people in their mid-30s getting vaccinated at the clinic in Surrey, which also has several high-transmission areas, and he hopes younger people make an effort to get their shots.

He believes that by sharing his own experience Port Coquitlam residents who are in their 30s will take note that it’s time to get their shot, noting that a high level of vaccination is needed before B.C. can open up.

“We are certainly going to have to get creative in meeting people where they are and getting them vaccinated,” West said.